[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 11 (Thursday, February 2, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING CORETTA SCOTT KING

  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of 
Coretta Scott King and express my condolences on her passing. Mrs. King 
carried the message of nonviolence and the dream of racial equality 
around our great nation and throughout the world. She led goodwill 
missions in Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Mrs. King traveled 
throughout the world advocating racial justice, religious freedom, and 
helping those in need.
  Coretta Scott was born in Marion, AL, on April 27, 1927. In a world 
where neither women nor minorities pursued an education, she graduated 
as valedictorian of her high school class and attended Antioch College 
in Yellow Springs, OH. She received a bachelor of arts in music and 
education and then studied concert singing at the New England 
Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA.
  While in Boston, she met Martin Luther King, Jr., and the two forged 
a unique relationship that led to the raising of their four children 
and an endeavor to find racial equality throughout our country. She was 
not just the wife of one of our great civil rights leaders. She was a 
great civil rights leader in her own right. She became the first woman 
to deliver the Class Day address at Harvard, and the first woman to 
preach at a statutory service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
  Just days after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. King 
carried out her husband's dream by leading a march on behalf of 
sanitation workers in Memphis, TN. Mrs. King continued to speak 
publicly and write nationally syndicated columns. As founding 
president, chair, and chief executive officer of the Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, she dedicated herself to 
providing local, national, and international programs that have trained 
tens of thousands of people in Dr. King's philosophy and methods. In 
1983, she led an effort that brought more than a half million 
demonstrators to Washington, DC, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 
the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where King delivered 
his famous ``I Have a Dream'' speech.
  Mrs. King was also an instrumental part in establishing Dr. King's 
birthday, January 15, as a national holiday in the United States. By an 
act of Congress, the first national observance of the holiday took 
place in 1986. Dr. King's birthday is now marked by annual celebrations 
in over 100 countries.
  Mrs. King has received honorary doctorates from over 60 colleges and 
universities and was the author of three books. She served on, or 
helped create, dozens of organizations, and has met with various heads 
of state to address the issues of racial inequality and fighting 
poverty.
  As a nation, we owe Mrs. King a debt of gratitude for her strength 
and perseverance throughout her lifelong pursuit of equality for all 
Americans. She and her husband inspired generations of Americans to 
work towards freedom and equality. Their legacy will live on and their 
quest for civil rights will never be forgotten.

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