[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 14 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E89-E90]
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. MARION BERRY

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 2006

  Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, on January 31, just one day before the start 
of Black History Month, we lost one of our Nation's most important 
civil rights pioneers--Coretta Scott King. Black History Month is an 
appropriate opportunity to mourn her death, celebrate her extraordinary 
life, and reflect on the extraordinary partnership of Mrs. King and her 
husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Although Dr. King was the heart and face of the civil rights 
movement, Mrs. King was its backbone. She marched alongside her husband 
in Selma to demand voting rights for African Americans. She marched 
with him again in Washington to demand a Federal law protecting the 
civil rights of all Americans. And she marched with her husband in 
Memphis one day before he was killed, to provide relief for the 
sanitation workers facing entrenched discrimination.
  After Dr. King's murder in 1968, Coretta Scott King fought with 
enormous grace and determination to keep her husband's legacy alive. 
She founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social 
Change to further his dream of racial equality, and fought tirelessly 
to establish a national holiday to honor her late husband. Although it 
took her 15

[[Page E90]]

years to accomplish this goal, Congress finally enacted a law in 1983 
designating the third Monday of January as Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
  Since her husband's death 38 years ago, Mrs. King continued her work 
as a civil rights activist, an advocate for women's rights, and a 
leader in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. She fought 
for the ideals that made this country great, and became the epitome of 
American strength and perseverance during a difficult struggle for 
civil rights.
  In the spirit of Coretta Scott King, let us rededicate ourselves to 
give all Americans the opportunity and justice they need to meet the 
challenges of today. Through perseverance and a deep belief in God and 
humanity, we can go a long way to achieving a more perfect America.

                          ____________________