Coretta Scott King
Coretta; The Story of Coretta Scott King Octavia Vivian
Coretta Scott King is widely recognized as the wife of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But in her own right she was a civil rights activist, vocalist and mother of four children. The struggles that she faced in her life were insurmountable. At a young age, she lost the love of her life and raised four children alone. But the grounding factor through all of her trials and tribulations was her strong belief and love of God. Growing up in Alabama in the 1930’s was difficult for an African American woman. Her family struggled even though they owned land and multiple businesses during the depression. Coretta attended a local elementary school and was always at the top of her class. She moved on to Lincoln High School, which was semi-private. Her parents were paying tuition plus room and board and didn’t see her but only on the weekends. Her mother got so frustrated with the whole situation that she bused all of the African American kids to and from school every day. Coretta’s parents told her that she was going to college no matter what. After graduating as valedictorian of her class, she received some assistance from scholarships and attended Antioch College in Ohio. She majored in elementary education with a minor in music. Coretta was a very talented vocalist and singing was her passion. After graduating from Antioch, Coretta was accepted to the New England Conservatory in Boston. Coretta had her share of struggles in Boston, but it would turn out to be the greatest experience of her life. She was introduced to Martin Luther King, Jr. She wasn’t too fond of him at first, but soon grew to care for him deeply. Martin and Coretta began their great love affair in 1952. Despite the great times that they were sharing, Coretta wasn’t sure if she was ready to be the wife of a Southern minister. She struggled with the notion of possibly
Coretta Scott King is widely recognized as the wife of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But in her own right she was a civil rights activist, vocalist and mother of four children. The struggles that she faced in her life were insurmountable. At a young age, she lost the love of her life and raised four children alone. But the grounding factor through all of her trials and tribulations was her strong belief and love of God. Growing up in Alabama in the 1930’s was difficult for an African American woman. Her family struggled even though they owned land and multiple businesses during the depression. Coretta attended a local elementary school and was always at the top of her class. She moved on to Lincoln High School, which was semi-private. Her parents were paying tuition plus room and board and didn’t see her but only on the weekends. Her mother got so frustrated with the whole situation that she bused all of the African American kids to and from school every day. Coretta’s parents told her that she was going to college no matter what. After graduating as valedictorian of her class, she received some assistance from scholarships and attended Antioch College in Ohio. She majored in elementary education with a minor in music. Coretta was a very talented vocalist and singing was her passion. After graduating from Antioch, Coretta was accepted to the New England Conservatory in Boston. Coretta had her share of struggles in Boston, but it would turn out to be the greatest experience of her life. She was introduced to Martin Luther King, Jr. She wasn’t too fond of him at first, but soon grew to care for him deeply. Martin and Coretta began their great love affair in 1952. Despite the great times that they were sharing, Coretta wasn’t sure if she was ready to be the wife of a Southern minister. She struggled with the notion of possibly
References: Vivian, O. (2006). Coretta: The Story of Coretta Scott King. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.