[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 13 (Tuesday, February 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E78]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MRS. CORETTA SCOTT KING

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 2006

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Coretta Scott King, wife 
of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a guiding force of the 
modern civil rights movement in her own right.
  Just seventeen days ago we honored the birthday of her husband and 
celebrated January 16th as a national holiday in his honor. It would be 
too easy to remember Mrs. King simply as the wife of Dr. King, one of 
this country's great 20th century leaders. To do this would be a 
disservice to the memory of a champion of civil and equal rights in her 
own right.
  Coretta Scott King began her long career of civic engagement as an 
undergraduate at Antioch College where she joined the local chapter of 
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
  After graduating from Antioch with a B.A. in music and education, 
Coretta Scott received a scholarship to study concert singing at the 
New England Conservatory of Music in my home state of Massachusetts. 
While there she met her future husband, Martin Luther King Jr.
  After receiving her degree from the Conservatory, she and Dr. King 
moved to Montgomery, Alabama. It was here that she and her husband 
became central figures in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ultimately, 
the civil rights movement.
  Following the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. and Mrs. 
King traveled tirelessly to ensure that the civil rights movement 
continued to grow. Mrs. King's talent and education in the arts led her 
to conceive of and perform a series of Freedom Concerts which 
incorporated poetry, narration, and music to tell the story of the 
larger movement for equal rights. These concerts were vital in the 
fundraising efforts for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 
the organization her husband headed.
  Mrs. King was not deterred by her husband's assassination, and if 
anything this tragic event strengthened her resolve in their shared 
struggle. In 1974, she established the Full Employment Action Council, 
a diverse coalition of more than 100 religious, labor, civil, and 
women's rights groups dedicated to economic justice through equal 
opportunity.
  In 1983, Coretta Scott King marked the 20th anniversary of the 1963 
March on Washington with another march on the Capitol featuring 
hundreds of organizations called the ``Coalition of Conscience.'' At 
the time it was the largest demonstration in Washington's history.
  Mrs. King led the movement to have her husband's birthday, January 
15th, established as a federal holiday and I am happy to say that 
Congress and the President acted on the merit of Coretta Scott King's 
wish and established Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday 
in 1986.
  While we are truly saddened at her passing, we are given pause to 
contemplate the impact she made during her lifetime on our lives and 
those of future generations. The freedoms all Americans enjoy today are 
due in no small part to her participation in the struggle for civil 
rights and equality.
  Mr. Speaker, let us celebrate the achievements of this remarkable 
woman's lifetime and work to ensure that her legacy endures long after 
her passing.

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