Tuesday: February 07, 2006 7:55 PM ET

Her Legacy

Ten-Thousands mourners celebrated the life of civil rights activist Coretta Scott King at her funeral, with President Bush and three former U.S. presidents attending including many members of Congress and several veterans of the civil rights movement .

Mrs. King, who was the widow of slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, carried on his work after his assassination in 1968 as well as built her own legacy. King, who died last week after battling ovarian cancer and the effects of a stroke, was 78 years old.




Tribute to Coretta Scott King


On Saturday, thousands of mourners had come to pay tribute to Coretta Scott King. Many were filing past her casket as it laid in state in the legislative building in Atlanta.

Many will remember King, who was the widow of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., as a leader for civilr rights. King became not only the first woman but the first black person to receive the tribute at the Capitol Rotunda in Georgia – once a seat of segregation.

Thousands of mourners came to enter the legislative building to pay their respects to Coretta Scott King in Atlanta, Ga.

Very early on Saturday, a large crowd lined the city's streets, cheering and throwing roses as King's bronze casket as the casket was carried past by horse-drawn carriage.

Many will remember after her famous husband was shot dead in 1968, King became a respected voice of the civil rights movement. She led a successful political movement to have a national holiday named after her husband.

As for King's other achievements, she founded the Atlanta-based King Center for Nonviolent Social Change as well as lent her name to a set of awards for African-American authors of children's books.

Gov. Sonny Perdue said during a short ceremony at the legislature that "Coretta Scott King was a gracious and courageous woman, an inspiration to millions and one of the most influential civil rights leaders of our time," "She was absolutely an anchor and support for her husband."

Atlanta's mayor, Shirley Franklin, thank Mrs. King saying she owed her career to King and would never have become the first black woman to lead the city if it weren't for the woman who has been called by so many civil rights leaders as the "first lady" of the civil rights movement.

It has been estimated that 42,000 people visited the rotunda to pay their respects to Mrs. King.

They included King's four children, who spent a few minutes alone at the open casket before the public was allowed to enter the rotunda.

When King died on Jan. 30 in Mexico at age 78, she had been undergoing alternative medical treatment for advanced ovarian cancer after earlier suffering a serious stroke and a heart attack.

Remembering Coretta
Godspeed!!
Isaac Joseph Davis Junior,
Editor-in-Chief/Site Owner

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