Death and funeral of Coretta Scott King

Last updated

Death and funeral of Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King 1964.jpg
Coretta Scott King in 1964
Location New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Lithonia, Georgia, USA
Participants George W. Bush
Jimmy Carter
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton

Coretta Scott King, the widow of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., died on January 30, 2006, after arriving at a rehabilitation center in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico. Her public funeral followed eight days later at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in her resident state of Georgia. In keeping with her personal wishes, King was buried next to her husband in a crypt on the grounds of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. [1]

Contents

King suffered strokes throughout the year 2005, and had different brushes with diseases, including a mild heart attack. The clinic where Ms. King received medical attention gained exposure surrounding her death. The media coverage was mostly negative, and ultimately the clinic was shut down. Prior to this, King had been released from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta after regaining some of her speech. Nearly two weeks later, King signed into the clinic in Mexico where she would eventually die. She was seventy-eight years old.

Death

Coretta Scott King died late on the evening of January 30, 2006 [2] at the rehabilitation center in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, in the Oasis Hospital where she was undergoing holistic therapy for her stroke and advanced stage ovarian cancer. The main cause of her death is believed to be respiratory failure due to complications from ovarian cancer. [3] The clinic at which she died was called the Hospital Santa Monica, but was licensed as Clinica Santo Tomas. Newspaper reports indicated that it was not legally licensed to "perform surgery, take X-rays, perform laboratory work or run an internal pharmacy, all of which it was doing." It was also founded, owned, and operated by San Diego resident and highly controversial alternative medicine figure Kurt Donsbach. [4] Days after King's death, the Baja California, Mexico, state medical commissioner, Francisco Vera, shut down the clinic. [5] On February 1, 2006, King's body was flown from Mexico to Atlanta. [6]

Lying in state

On February 4, 2006, King's body was carried by a horse-drawn carriage to Georgia State Capitol, where she was laid out in honor. [7] She was the first African-American and female to do so. Over 16,000 mourners paid their respects to King as they filed past her casket. [8]

Funeral

Over 14,000 people gathered for Coretta Scott King's eight-hour funeral at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, on February 7, 2006, where daughter Bernice King, who is an elder at the church, eulogized her mother. The megachurch, whose sanctuary seats 10,000, was better able to handle the expected massive crowds than Ebenezer Baptist Church, of which King was a member since the early 1960s and which was the site of her husband's funeral in 1968.

U.S. Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and their wives attended, with the exception of former First Lady Barbara Bush, who had a previous engagement. The Ford family was absent due to the illness of President Ford (who himself died later that year). George W. Bush canceled a previous engagement to speak about the federal budget in Manchester, New Hampshire, in order to attend the funeral. [9] Numerous other prominent political and civil rights leaders, including then-U.S. senator Barack Obama, [10] attended the televised service.

King was interred in a temporary mausoleum on the grounds of the King Center until a permanent place next to her husband's remains could be built. [11] She had expressed to family members and others that she wanted her remains to lie next to her husband's at the King Center. On November 20, 2006, the new mausoleum containing both the bodies of Martin Luther and Coretta King was unveiled in front of friends and family. It is the third resting place of Martin Luther King Jr.

Funeral oration

President Jimmy Carter and Rev. Joseph Lowery provided funeral orations. With President George W. Bush seated a few feet away, Rev. Lowery, referencing Coretta's vocal opposition to the Iraq War, noted the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq:

"She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. . . . We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we knew, that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war, billions more, but no more for the poor." [12]

President Carter, referencing Coretta's lifelong struggle for civil rights, noted that her family had been the target of secret government wiretapping. Their somewhat critical remarks about US government policy were met with thunderous applause and standing ovations. [13] Conservative observers said Lowery's comments were inappropriate in a setting meant to honor the life of Mrs. King, especially considering that President George W. Bush was present at the ceremony. [14] [15]

Reactions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King Jr.</span> American civil rights leader (1929–1968)

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister, activist, and political philosopher who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. King advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and nonviolent civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coretta Scott King</span> American civil rights leader; wife of Martin Luther King Jr. (1927–2006)

Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his assassination in 1968. As an advocate for African-American equality, she was a leader for the civil rights movement in the 1960s. King was also a singer who often incorporated music into her civil rights work. King met her husband while attending graduate school in Boston. They both became increasingly active in the American civil rights movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dexter King</span> Civil rights activist and son of Martin Luther King Jr.

Dexter Scott King was an American civil and animal rights activist and author. The second son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, he was also the brother of Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, and Yolanda King; and also grandson of Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King He is the author of Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amelia Boynton Robinson</span> American civil rights activist

Amelia Isadora Platts Boynton Robinson was an American activist who was a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama, and a key figure in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park</span> National Historical Park of the United States

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park covers about 35 acres (0.14 km2) and includes several sites in Atlanta, Georgia related to the life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Within the park is his boyhood home, and Ebenezer Baptist Church — the church where King was baptized and both he and his father, Martin Luther King Sr., were pastors — as well as, the grave site of King, Jr., and his wife, civil rights activist Coretta Scott King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King III</span> American civil rights activist (born 1957)

Martin Luther King III is an American human rights activist, philanthropist and advocate. The elder son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, King served as the fourth president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1997 to 2004. As of 2024, he is a Professor of practice at the University of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernice King</span> American minister and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.

Bernice Albertine King is an American inactive lawyer, minister, and the youngest child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was five years old when her father died in 1968. In her adolescence, King chose to work towards becoming a minister after having a breakdown from watching a documentary about her father. King was 17 when she was invited to speak at the United Nations. Twenty years after her father was assassinated, she preached her trial sermon, inspired by her parents' activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yolanda King</span> American civil rights activist (1955-2007)

Yolanda Denise King was an American activist and campaigner for African-American rights and first-born child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, who pursued artistic and entertainment endeavors and public speaking. Her childhood experience was greatly influenced by her father's highly public activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Lowery</span> American minister and civil rights activist (1921–2020)

Joseph Echols Lowery was an American minister in the United Methodist Church and leader in the civil rights movement. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King Jr. and others, serving as its vice president, later chairman of the board, and its third president from 1977 to 1997. Lowery participated in most of the major activities of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, and continued his civil rights work into the 21st century. He was called the "Dean of the Civil Rights Movement."

Xernona Clayton Brady is an American civil rights leader and broadcasting executive. During the Civil Rights Movement, she worked for the National Urban League and Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where she became involved in the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Later, Clayton went into television, where she became the first African American from the southern United States to host a daily prime time talk show. She became corporate vice president for Turner Broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moneta Sleet Jr.</span> American journalist (1926–1996)

Moneta J. Sleet Jr. was an American press photographer best known for his work as a staff photographer for Ebony magazine. In 1969 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his photograph of Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, at her husband's funeral. Sleet was the first African-American man to win the Pulitzer, and the first African American to win the award for journalism. He died of cancer in 1996 at the age of 70.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Center for Nonviolent Social Change</span> Not-for-profit organization in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, commonly known as The King Center, is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization in Atlanta, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine King Farris</span> American civil rights leader (1927–2023)

Willie Christine King Farris was an American teacher and civil rights activist. King was the sister of Martin Luther King Jr. She taught at Spelman College and was the author of several books and was a public speaker on various topics, including the King family, multicultural education, and teaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evelyn G. Lowery</span>

Evelyn Gibson Lowery was an American civil rights activist and leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.</span> 1968 murder in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7:05 p.m at age 39. He was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested on June 8, 1968, at London's Heathrow Airport, extradited to the United States and charged with the crime. On March 10, 1969, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary. He later made many attempts to withdraw his guilty plea and to be tried by a jury, but was unsuccessful. Ray died in prison in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.</span> Funeral following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The first memorial service following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, took place the following day at the R.S. Lewis Funeral Home in Memphis, Tennessee. This was followed by two funeral services on April 9, 1968, in Atlanta, Georgia, the first held for family and close friends at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King and his father had both served as senior pastors, followed by a three-mile procession to Morehouse College, King's alma mater, for a public service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edythe Scott Bagley</span> American author, activist, and educator (1924–2011)

Edythe Scott Bagley was an American author, activist, and educator. The older sister of Coretta Scott King, she worked behind the scenes to promote the Civil Rights Movement and was actively involved in many of the crucial events of that era.

Atlanta Black Pride started in 1996 and is one of two officially recognized festivals for the African-American LGBT community. It is held in Atlanta each year at the end of August and beginning of September. Atlanta Black Pride is the largest black gay pride celebration in the world with an estimated 100,000 people annually in attendance. Atlanta Black Pride heavily contributes to the annual $65 million economic impact on Atlanta's economy during the city's eventful Labor Day weekend most recently organized by Traxx Girls Inc & Atlanta Black Pride Weekend LLC due to the administration dissolve of In The Life Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebenezer Baptist Church</span> Church in Georgia, United States

Ebenezer Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA. It was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King Sr. was co-pastor together with his sons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from 1960 until his assassination in 1968 and A. D. King from 1968 until his death in 1969, the location of the funerals of both Dr. King and, in its later expanded sanctuary, congressman John Lewis, and the church for which United States Senator Raphael Warnock has been pastor since 2005. Its historic church building and expanded sanctuary building are located in the historic area designated as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.

The history of the 1954 to 1968 American civil rights movement has been depicted and documented in film, song, theater, television, and the visual arts. These presentations add to and maintain cultural awareness and understanding of the goals, tactics, and accomplishments of the people who organized and participated in this nonviolent movement.

References

  1. ↑ "Reagan funeral: Schedule of events". BBC. June 11, 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  2. ↑ "Coretta. Scott King dead at 78". The Associated Press. January 31, 2006. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
  3. ↑ "King had Paralysis and Cancer". The Associated Press. January 31, 2006. Retrieved 2007-09-11.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Judd, Alan; McKenna, M.A.J.; Keefe, Bob (February 1, 2006) "Clinic, founder operate outside norm", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original, February 3, 2006.
  5. ↑ McKinley, James C. (February 4, 2006). "Mexico Closes Alternative Care Clinic Where Mrs. King Died". The New York Times . Retrieved 2007-09-11.
  6. ↑ "King widow lies in state in Georgia". Taipei Times. February 6, 2006.
  7. ↑ "Coretta Scott King Lies in State". CBS News. February 4, 2006.
  8. ↑ Silverman, Stephen M. "Mrs. King Laid to Rest After State Funeral". People.
  9. ↑ Bumiller, Elizabeth (February 5, 2006). "In a Change of Plans, Bush Says He Will Attend King's Funeral". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ How He Did It
  11. ↑ King Pharmacy Memorials Into the Night
  12. ↑ Terkel, Amanda (2011-01-19) Lawmakers Press Pentagon Official On MLK War Claim, Huffington Post
  13. ↑ McNamara, Melissa (2006-02-07) 'She Is Deeply Missed', CBS News
  14. ↑ Greenfield, Jeff (February 8, 2006). "Greenfield: 'Do you really do this at a funeral?'". CNN . Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  15. ↑ Matthews, Chris (February 7, 2006). "'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Feb. 7th". Hardball with Chris Matthews. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  16. 1 2 3 "Coretta Scott King, 78, Dies". Fox News. January 31, 2006.
  17. 1 2 "In Tribute To The First Lady Of Civil Rights: Coretta Scott King". Jet. February 20, 2006.
  18. ↑ "Coretta Scott King Dies at 78". ABC News. January 31, 2006.
  19. ↑ "Coretta Scott King dead at 78". NBC News. January 31, 2006.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.