Coretta Scott King, Presente!
Many a patronizing obituary of Coretta Scott King will sum up her life to the effect that her "prayers and quiet grace anchored her Baptist preacher husband as he marched out to change the world." (This is an actual quotation from the obituary in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.) In reality, she was not just an "anchor" for her husband but a leader in her own right. And she deserves to be remembered that way.
Coretta Scott King on an 1199 picketline, late 1960s
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Ms. King was a great help to the queer community, when it came to helping defeat homophobia within the black community. She will be greatly remembered.
"I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice," she said. "But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people," she said. - CSK, Reuters, March 31, 1998.
Posted by: Josh Ferris | February 1, 2006 07:58 PM