Soror Coretta Scott King
 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Coretta Scott King, the widow of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, has died, NBC reported on Wednesday.

This is about all I can find on her passing. The news sites I have been to are saying that it's breaking news, so they arent reporting too much.

Soror Coretta Scott King's legacy, as a woman who weathered many storms and gave so selflessly to others, will be cherished for years to come.

May she Rest in Peace.

GCers, feel free to add other news stories to this thread.

The only thing i have seen so far is a blurb from Yahoo..they said her daughter tried to wake her up and could not last night/this am. I am so sorry to hear of her passing, we are losing our great leaders but I don't know who will step up to be the next generation. We have some but they will never replace who we've lost.

I totally agree, StarFish. This is so sad.

They're also reporting this on TJMS this morning.

Condolences to the King children and family. I will remember Mrs. King for her personal class. She shared her husband with the nation and then lived through his brutal murder. Still, she raised her family with dignity. Even in later years with family issues over the King legacy/King center, she kept her dignity. She didn't lash out at those that lashed out at her family. I have family members that knew her and the King family personally, and they speak well of Mrs. King. We can all take a lesson from how Coretta Scott King held it down.

Rest easy, Sis. King. May God welcome you into heaven today.

Yes. It is truly sad! However, we are the ones still suffering on Earth. Coretta is now at rest and at peace!

I was devastated to learn the news. We can learn from the life of Coretta Scott King.

It seems surreal that Mrs. King is gone. She's finally at peace, and I'm sure the gates of Heaven are open wide with Dr. King waiting to be the first person to greet her. My prayers are with the King family.

RIP, Soror Coretta Scott-King. :(

I was so shocked to hear that this morning. :(

I'm truly shocked to hear about the death of Coretta Scott King. She was just at a fundraiser event approximately two weeks ago and now this. She will truly be missed. She was such a great leader for African-Americans especially during the Civil Rights Movement alongside Dr. King. May people look at her good deeds and remember her as a great woman throughout her years.

RIP and my prayers go out to the family. I was listening to the radio this morning and Armstrong Williams was on and he basically said that Mrs King (prior to her stroke) was about to lose her house but Oprah stepped in and bought her a new house (or completely refurbished the old one). While Armstrong went on to praise her children I would love to know how THEY allowed her to be in such a position in the first place. They could have all pooled their resources together and Oprah would not have been involved... that really concerned me....

This is from The Washington Post which also has a timeline of her life.

Coretta Scott King Dies at 78

By ERRIN HAINES
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 31, 2006; 8:20 AM

ATLANTA -- Coretta Scott King, who turned a life shattered by her husband's assassination into one devoted to enshrining his legacy of human rights and equality, has died. She was 78.

Markel Hutchins, a close family friend of the Kings, told The Associated Press he spoke early this morning with Bernice King, who confirmed her mother's passing.

Former Mayor Andrew Young said on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Web site that Bernice King found her mother at about 1 a.m.

Young, who was a former civil rights activist and was close to the King family, told NBC's "Today" show: "I understand that she was asleep last night and her daughter went in to wake her up and she was not able to and so she quietly slipped away. Her spirit will remain with us just as her husband's has."



Rest in Peace, Soror. . .

:( :( :(

This is so true. My condolences go out to the King family. However, I am so glad that she can finally be reunited with her husband, from whom she has been parted for so long.

What a way to start the day....

I am truly saddened by the passing of Soror Coretta Scott-King. May she forever rest in peace.

My heart is very heavy today. This is truly a sad occasion.
Rest in peace, Soror Scott King.

I woke up to this bad news. Like others have said I admired Mrs. King for her class and dignity. She is now resting in peace.

^^^I would be interested in knowing how her children would let that happen also. Nonetheless, I am mourning with the family.

HC: I informed one of our student workers about Mrs. King's passing and she said...."Who?" :eek: Damn shame!

Rest in peace, Soror Scott King. You have done a good work while here on this earth. May you be amply rewarded in Heaven and reunited with Dr. King.

The news of her passing was soooo sad to hear. :( :(

May Soror Scott-King rest in peace. My prayers are to her family and loved ones.

I had the pleasure to meet Soror Scott-King at the CBC in 2002. It was truly a moving experience for me. I am deeply saddened today.

Mom called me this morning to tell me the news and asked if I heard abou it. I hadn't turned on the TV but did see it on CNN.

I'm very sad about this news. RIP:(

RIP Soror Scott King
 

I was truly saddened to hear about this this morning. :(

Thanks to GC,
 

This is the first I'm hearing of her death (despite listening to a couple of "black" radio stations here in SoCal). RIP, Soror Scott King. And remember the work that Rev. King started and she and the family continued is still unfinished.

We've lost another historical figure
 

I am so deeply saddened by this news. I knew she was still sick after suffering a heart attack but I thought she was recovering. One of the articles said she died peacefully in her sleep - I know it doesn't make it any better but I'm glad to hear she didn't suffer.

prayers for her family and our nation--i can't believe that some folks don't know who she is/was. i pray that her children can get it together--losing a mother is hard. but i thank God that Soror Coretta is with the Lord now and that she and her husband can be reunited.

Words to Live By
 

Some very powerful quotes from Soror Coretta Scott King:

"Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated."

"I believe all Americans who believe in freedom, tolerance and human rights have a responsibility to oppose bigotry and prejudice based on sexual orientation."

"I'm fulfilled in what I do … I never thought that a lot of money or fine clothes—the finer things of life—would make you happy. My concept of happiness is to be filled in a spiritual sense."

"There is a spirit and a need and a man at the beginning of every great human advance. Every one of these must be right for that particular moment of history, or nothing happens."

"Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul."

"Segregation was wrong when it was forced by white people, and I believe it is still wrong when it is requested by black people."

"Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won; you earn it and win it in every generation."

"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. 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."

"If American women would increase their voting turnout by ten percent, I think we would see an end to all of the budget cuts in programs benefiting women and children."

"This valuable first-hand account of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott, written by an important, behind-the-scenes organizer, evokes the emotional intensity of the civil-rights struggle. It ought to be required reading for all Americans who value their freedom and the contribution of black women to our history."

"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members ... a heart of grace and a soul generated by love."

"Today is not merely a holiday, but a true holy day which honors the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in the best possible way."

"You are right that it is a hurtful, divisive symbol and I commend you for having the courage to tell it like it is at a time when too many other political leaders are equivocating on this issue."

She was one of those women that made you want to not only be a better woman, but a better human being.

I had the pleasure of meeting her many years ago and she was one of the most gracious and inspiring women that I have ever met.

Today is a sad day for the World.

This is not the way the story was told here in Atlanta if I recall correctly. Mrs. King still lived in the modest family home that she and Dr. King bought when he was alive in what was/is increasingly becoming a "bad" part of town. (Off Simpson Road in Vine City for the ATLiens) Oprah decided to buy Mrs. King a condo in Buckhead on Peachtree Street simply as a gift to Mrs. King, not because she was about to be homeless. I think Oprah said she wanted her to live in a home befiting her, or something like that.

That is sooo appalling:eek:

of course the news and media have not spent nearly as much time chronicling her life and covering the story as they should. i heard about it from my bf early this morning, tuned in to the news and they talked about it for like 10 seconds. a woman considered by many to be the 1st lady of the civil rights movement deserves more than that. :(

condolences to the family of Mrs. Coretta Scott King and to the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. we all lost another powerful, influential African-American woman today. may she rest in peace.

Sad day indeed.
 

I woke up to the news as well (getting up early for the Oscar nominations). It has been a bittersweet day for me, but our soror is with her king now, and that makes me feel a bit better.

May she rest in peace.

Re: Thanks to GC,
 

Amen.

You'll forgive me if I'm being too 'outspoken,' but in light of losing Mrs. King so close to losing Ms. Parks, and with the recent voting in of this new Supreme Court justice with a history of decisions that hurt the civil rights of vulnerable Americans....I just feel ill.

The struggle continues. Rest in Peace, Mrs. King.

Re: Words to Live By
 

Wonderful quotes...Rest in Peace, Mrs. King. :(

This is so sad. I was unaware that she had suffered a stroke and a heart attack(sigh) :(

The only comfort I have now is that she will be with Rev. King and not suffering.

Lord bless the King family

Very sad news.....She certainly was a lady with alot of dignity and class. May she rest in peace.

Hopefully this will inspire her children to be on one accord with the fate of the King Center.

That's usually the way I accept someone's passing. She's probably at her happiest up there and at PEACE. I'd much rather celebrate her life than mourn her death, I guess.

On a somewhat related note, someone mentioned that we will never replace who we've lost.. and it's a sad thing. When I watch incoming freshman make the blanket statement that individuals like King and Parks "did nothing for them", it hurts my heart. Our youth know NOTHING of true "I'm sick of this sh*t" activism, and it's going to damage us in more ways than we know. The best way to keep BOTH King legacies alive is to just educate as much as possible, and through that education hope that they understand the underlying lesson: if you don't like what you're looking at/seeing/feeling, you CAN make a difference and a change. :)

:(

The whole King family is in my prayers.
I pray for the nation and hope we realize what a precious soul we have lost.

We have lost a wonderful human being in Soror King. She has done her work for the Lord & he has called her home to rest. My prayers are with her family & friends.

Rest in Peace my Soror, rest in peace.

May her soul rest in peace
 

May God grant Soror Coretta and her family peace.

:(

She lived a long & fruitful life.

In Remembrance,

"Mrs. King was more than Dr. King's widow: She was a living symbol of what he fought and died for. With the passing of Rosa Parks and so many others, for many Mrs. King was the last real icon of the Civil Rights movement. The best way for all of us to honor their memory is to remember what they worked so hard to achieve and to exercise our political power the way we know they'd want us to."

- Tom Joyner


In honor of Coretta Scott King, some churches, radio stations, and politicians are asking that we wear black on Friday (Feb. 3) to show that the fight that King fought was not in vain. With a new Supreme Court potentially emerging in the wake of the confirmation of Justice Alito on the same day of her passing, this effort is intended to show unity of mind and purpose. Please pass the word to family and friends.