Biography coretta scott king

Although best known as the wife of 1960s civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) established a distinguished career in activism in her own right.

Working side-by-side with her husband throughout the 1950s and 1960s, King took part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 and worked to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Her memoir, My Life with Martin Luther King Jr., was published in 1969.

Following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968, she continued their work, founding the Martin Luther King Jr.

Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia. She served as the center’s president and chief executive officer from its inception.

In 1980, a 23-acre site around King’s birthplace was designated for use by the King Center.

The following year, a museum complex was dedicated on the site.

King also was behind the 15-year fight to have her husband’s birthday instituted as a national holid