31 Jan 2006 Project 21 Press Release: Black Conservatives Mourn the Passing of Coretta Scott King

Members of the black leadership network Project 21 are mourning the passing of Coretta Scott King.  Project 21 members praise her legacy of exhibiting strong family unity in the face of great personal tragedy and for maintaining her husband’s dream of equal rights for all.

Mrs. King, the widow of the slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reportedly died in her sleep.  She suffered from a heart attack and a stroke in 2005.  The Kings married in 1953, and had four children before Dr. King was assassinated in 1968.  After his death, Mrs. King continued to raise the couple’s children.  She also founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta.

“Like her husband and his unparalleled contribution to cause of civil rights, Coretta Scott King deserves our thanks for being a icon for family unity,” said Project 21 member Kevin Martin.  “Even after facing the greatest tragedy that can befall a family, she continued to raise, mold and shape her own children and maintain a family legacy that we can all be proud of.  She has taught us great things.”

Project 21 member Mychal Massie added: “We are saddened by the passing of Mrs. King.  She will forever be remembered as the quiet strength of her late husband, Dr. Martin Luther King.  She is an example of the importance a Godly wife plays in the life and service of those called to extraordinary challenges.  I am personally moved by the courage she displayed during the many hostile hours of her late husband’s life.”

For more information, contact David Almasi at (202) 507-6398 x11 or [email protected], or visit Project 21’s website at http://www.project21.org/P21Index.html. New Visions Commentaries can be found at https://nationalcenter.org/P21NewVisions.html.