Civil Rights & Activism

Coretta Scott King

Born April 27, 1927 · Heiberger, Alabama · Joined the Ancestors January 30, 2006

Far more than a wife, Coretta Scott King was a leader in her own right — an activist, author, and architect of the modern civil rights movement who carried the torch of justice for decades after her husband's assassination.

Known For

Civil rights leader and activist

Founded

The King Center, Atlanta

Legacy

Champion of nonviolent social change

Coretta Scott was born in rural Alabama during the Jim Crow era. A gifted musician, she attended Antioch College on a scholarship and later studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she met Martin Luther King Jr.

While the world knew her as Dr. King's wife, Coretta was a fierce activist in her own right. She organized and led marches, gave speeches, and fought for civil rights legislation. After her husband's assassination in 1968, she founded The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, ensuring his legacy would endure.

She spent the next four decades fighting for racial equality, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and economic justice. She successfully lobbied for the creation of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday and remained one of the most influential voices for peace in America until her death in 2006.