2008 Woodie Awards
King laid to rest
Patricia Bergquist
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A legacy lasting almost 40 years was commemorated and celebrated Feb. 7 in Lithonia, Georgia. Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., was laid to rest. Thousands of admirers came to pay final respects to the "First Lady of Civil Rights Movement". Among the attendees of the funeral were Oprah Winfrey, President George W. Bush, former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Rev. Al Sharpton, and Rev. Jesse Jackson attended, according to an article in the Washington Post.
In his Washington Post article, Darryl Fears quoted President Bush "In all her years, Coretta Scott King showed that a person of conviction and strength could also be a beautiful soul," President Bush told mourners at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.
"This kind and gentle woman became one of the most admired Americans of our time. She is rightly mourned, and she is deeply missed."
King passed away late in the afternoon on Jan. 30, at the age of 78, during a visit to Mexico. Accompanied by one of her daughters, she had been in Mexico undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, according to an article by Karen Jacobs, a writer for Reuters.
With quiet courage, grace, and class, King supported her husband all through his years as the civil rights leader to create equality for peoples of all races. Despite being plunged into widowhood by the assassination of her husband, she has carried on her husband's fight of civil rights since his death on April 4, 1968.
"King has been a prime example of a strong black woman," said Loretta Montague, Youth Initiative Outreach Specialist for Creating Opportunities for Reaching Excellence or CORE. Montague also said, "King was considered the First Lady of the Civil Right Movement. She was the first lady to be given the honors of her position as she was laid in state in Atlanta, GA,"
"She was a rock and took over for her husband," said Elaine Edwards, administrative assistant for the Social Sciences and Human Services division at LCCC, "She was an inspiration. She was able to help her husband and still maintain her home."
