“There Is Also Coretta”: Reclaiming the Legacy of Coretta Scott King
More than a widow, more than a wife—Coretta Scott King was a visionary activist, artist, and architect of the Beloved Community in her own right.
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“There is a Mrs. King. There is also Coretta. How one became detached from the other remains a mystery to me.”
That is how Coretta Scott King begins her autobiography—with these powerful words of reflection and correction.
Coretta Scott King should be remembered not simply as the spouse and widow of Martin Luther King Jr. but as an independent human being with an identity related to but not dependent on the man she married.
Long before she wed the most prominent civil rights leader of the movement and long after he had been killed, Scott King formed her own thoughts, pursued her own priorities, and made her own name.
Growing Up Coretta
Born on April 27, 1927, in Heiberger, Alabama, Scott grew up on a farm her grandparents had purchased—an extraordinary accomplishment for Black people of that era.
She milked cows, picked cotton, and endured the violence of Jim Crow, including watching her family’s house and sawmill burned down by white supremacists.
Through it all, her family’s faith anchored her. Her father led prayers even after the arson, and Scott herself professed faith at age ten. The AME Zion Church nurtured her musical gifts and sustained her spirit.
Scott’s mother pushed her to get an education—a rare opportunity for Black women in the South.
At Lincoln Normal School, founded by the American Missionary Association, she encountered classical music and Black performers like Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson.
There she first met pacifist thinker Bayard Rustin, whose ideas on nonviolent protest captivated her.
After graduating valedictorian, Scott earned a scholarship to Antioch College in Ohio. For the first time, she interacted closely with white peers and explored other religions.
She also began protesting injustice—writing letters to school leaders about racist policies and joining the NAACP.
“I began to consider myself a pacifist,” she said, grounding her convictions in Christian teachings.
Meeting Martin
Later, she earned admission to the New England Conservatory in Boston, where a friend introduced her to a young seminarian named Martin Luther King Jr.
Initially unimpressed—“He was short,” she said. But she grew to admire his intellect and moral clarity.
Despite some resistance from his parents, she and King married in 1953.
In choosing family, she sacrificed her dream of becoming a concert vocalist but channeled her musical gifts into the movement.
Married to the Movement
Their first major test came quickly.
In 1956, during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, their home was bombed while Coretta and a friend sat in the living room.
Miraculously, no one was harmed. Her family begged her to leave town, but she refused.
“When tragedy hit, when I was tested, I found that the fear had left. It had been overcome by faith.”
That decision to stay galvanized her husband—and the movement.
Scott King would go on to travel the world for the cause of justice: to India to study nonviolence, to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize with Martin, and to Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington.
Architect of the Beloved Community
After her husband’s assassination in 1968, she poured her energy into institutionalizing his legacy and expanding her own.
Just two months after his death, she founded the King Center in Atlanta—what she called her “fifth child”—to train future leaders in nonviolence.
She defined the Beloved Community as “a realistic vision of an achievable society… [where] compassion drives political policies.”
Guided by that vision, Scott King advocated for peace, economic justice, and equality across the globe.
She vocally opposed the Vietnam War and published her memoir, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1969.
Her fight to make MLK Day a national holiday took fifteen years.
Despite early setbacks, she testified before Congress, rallied with music legend Stevie Wonder, and continued to press lawmakers until the bill finally passed in 1983.
She stood beside Ronald Reagan as he signed it into law—a bittersweet but hard-earned victory.
Her activism didn’t stop with civil rights.
She protested apartheid in South Africa, was arrested outside the South African embassy, and visited the country in 1986.
Though criticized by some for her diplomatic approach, she persisted. After Nelson Mandela’s release, she welcomed him to the King Center and helped raise funds for the ANC.
Coretta Scott King was an activist before she met MLK Jr., and she remained one after his death.
She was a champion of women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, nuclear disarmament, and racial equity.
And through it all, her faith remained a constant anchor.
In times of grief and fear, she turned to God. Her vision of the Beloved Community continues to inspire generations of activists around the world.
What stood out to you most about Coretta Scott King’s story—and why? Let us know in the comments.
This article was adapted from my latest book, The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance (she’s on the cover!). For more on Coretta Scott King and other remarkable women from Black history, grab your copy today!
"When tragedy hit, when I was tested, I found that fear had left. It had been overcome by faith." What a testimony to God's faithfulness. I need these words and that strength today. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Jemar!
What stood out most about the life of Mrs. king, Coretta, was that the seed of of resistance was sowed in her at an early age. The spirit of resilience was in her before her life intersected with God’s man for such a time as this. There is something about the African American’s character and nature ( that she embodies ) that will not lay down and allow the wheels of injustice roll over us. He life, her residence inspires many generations.