[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 14 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E94]
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. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 2006

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I attended the 
heartfelt memorial service of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Mrs. King was a 
model citizen and will truly be missed by the Nation. Last week the 
House debated H. Res. 655, which honored the life and accomplishments 
of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. This resolution recognized her 
contributions as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and expresses 
condolences to the King family on her passing.
  Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927, in Heiberger, Alabama. 
Mrs. King graduated from Antioch College with a degree in music and 
education and was granted a scholarship to study concert singing at the 
New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It was in 
Boston where she met a young theology student, Martin Luther King, Jr., 
who was attending Boston University, and her life was forever changed. 
They were soon caught up in a dramatic series of events that sparked 
the modern Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King was recognized as the face 
of the movement, called upon to lead various marches from city to city, 
with Mrs. King right by his side, encouraging citizens, regardless of 
race, to defy the laws of segregation.
  On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in 
Memphis, Tennessee. Channeling her grief, Mrs. King concentrated her 
energies on fulfilling her husband's work by building The King Center 
in Atlanta, Georgia, as a living memorial to her husband's life and 
dream. However, Mrs. King's greatest accomplishment was yet to come. 
She set out to establish her late husband's birthday as a national 
holiday, and that dream came to fruition when Congress declared the 
first observance of this national holiday in 1986. Today, the holiday 
is marked by annual celebrations in over 100 countries.
  Mrs. King was an influential public figure and is referred to as the 
``First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement.'' She was a world-renowned 
speaker who gave hundreds of speeches both abroad and at home, and was 
active in organizations such as the National Council of Negro Women and 
the Women's Strike for Peace. Mrs. King was also known for her writing, 
most notably for her autobiography, My Life With Martin Luther King. 
Jr.
  Mrs. Coretta Scott King had a vision and she had the wherewithal to 
keep that vision alive. The journey towards equality for all has been 
greatly advanced by her work and accomplishments. Mrs. Coretta Scott 
King is a true American hero and will dearly be missed by her family, 
the Nation, and the world.

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