UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1610
Page 1 of 3
XXXX 1/16/2024 2:59 PM Jacketed
A RESOLUTION paying homage to Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the architect of the 1
King legacy, and lifelong human rights activist for social change and peace. 2
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King was born in Heiberger, Alabama, and raised on the 3
farm of her parents Bernice McMurry Scott and Obadiah Scott in Perry County, 4
Alabama; and 5
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King graduated in 1945 as valedictorian of her class at 6
Lincoln Normal High School and attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, 7
where she received a Bachelor of Arts in music and education; and 8
WHEREAS, while attending Antioch College, Mrs. King was active in the NAACP 9
and shifted the focus of her studies to music. In 1951, she won a scholarship to the New 10
England Conservatory of Music in Boston. It was in Boston that she was first introduced 11
to her future husband, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.; and 12
WHEREAS, in 1952, a friend wanted to introduce her to Dr. King, who at the time 13
was studying for his doctoral degree at Boston University. When Mrs. King found out 14
that he was a minister, she lost interest, fearing he was too pious and narrow-minded. 15
Still, Dr. King called her and convinced her to have lunch with him; that very day, he told 16
her that he thought they should get married someday and that she was everything that he 17
had wanted in a woman. They were eventually married in the garden of her parents' home 18
in Alabama on June 18, 1953; and 19
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King played a central role behind the scenes in many of 20
her husband’s major civil rights campaigns of the 1950's and 1960's. Mrs. King spoke at 21
many of history’s massive peace and justice rallies. She served as a Women’s Strike for 22
Peace delegate to the 17-nation Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in 23
1962. She was the first woman to deliver the class day address at Harvard in 1968, and 24
the first woman to preach in a statutory service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in 1969; 25
and 26
WHEREAS, after the assassination of her husband, Mrs. King's dedication to social 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1610
Page 2 of 3
XXXX 1/16/2024 2:59 PM Jacketed
justice never wavered. Prior to her husband's burial, Mrs. King flew to Memphis to take 1
his place at the head of the protest march by garbage workers whose plight had brought 2
Dr. King to the city. A month later, she helped to open the Poor Peoples' Campaign that 3
he had been planning before his death; and 4
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King stepped up as a leader of the Civil Rights 5
Movement and became the custodian of her late husband's legacy. In 1969, she began to 6
mobilize support for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change. She 7
eventually raised $15 million to build the complex, which opened in 1982. She served as 8
the center's president for two decades; and 9
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King also channeled her energy into a long and difficult 10
drive to establish a King holiday. The legislation finally cleared Congress on November 11
19, 1983, and was signed by President Ronald Reagan two weeks later. Dr. King's 12
birthday became the tenth national holiday and only the second named for an American; 13
and 14
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King established herself as an advocate of women's 15
rights and full employment in the 1970's, campaigned against apartheid in the 1980's, and 16
was a keynote speaker in 1984 at the U.N. International Day of Solidarity with the 17
Women of South Africa and Namibia. The next year she was arrested with her daughter, 18
Bernice, at a rally outside the South African Embassy in Washington. In 1994, she shared 19
the podium with Nelson Mandela after he won the first nonracial government election in 20
South Africa; and 21
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King also met with many great spiritual leaders, 22
including Pope John Paul, the Dalai Lama, Dorothy Day, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. She 23
witnessed the historic handshake between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman 24
Yassir Arafat at the signing of the Middle East Peace Accords; and 25
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King continued to serve the cause of justice and human 26
rights and the message of nonviolence until her death on January 30, 2006. She tirelessly 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1610
Page 3 of 3
XXXX 1/16/2024 2:59 PM Jacketed
traveled on goodwill missions to Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia and remained 1
active in the causes of racial and economic justice, and devoted much of her energy to 2
AIDS education and curbing gun violence. In 1983, she marked the 20th anniversary of 3
the historic March on Washington, by leading a gathering of more than 800 human rights 4
organizations; and 5
WHEREAS, Coretta Scott King is considered one of the world’s most influential 6
African-American leaders. She has received honorary doctorates from over 60 colleges 7
and universities, authored three books and a nationally syndicated column, and has served 8
on, and helped found, dozens of organizations, including the Black Leadership Forum, 9
the National Black Coalition for Voter Participation, and the Black Leadership 10
Roundtable; and 11
WHEREAS, in her book, "My Life, My Love, My Legacy," Coretta Scott King said 12
"I want people to know that I was committed to leaving an eternal flame, built on love, 13
that would never be extinguished. I wanted this flame to touch lives, communities, and 14
nations. I wanted it to be an urgent call to community and public service. My story is a 15
freedom song from within my soul. It is a guide to discovery, a vision of how even the 16
worst pain and heartaches can be channeled into human monuments, impenetrable and 17
everlasting"; 18
NOW, THEREFORE, 19
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 20
Kentucky: 21
Section 1. The members of the Senate hereby honor and salute the life and 22
legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the architect of the King legacy. 23
Section 2. When the Senate adjourns this day, it does so in honor and loving 24
memory of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. 25
Section 3. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 26
Resolution to Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer. 27