Martin Luther King Day just passed and many of us took the time to remember and reflect on MLK’s accomplished during the civil rights movement. While I scrolled down my timeline on all my social media accounts, I saw several people posting their favorite MLK quotes and thanking him for his contributions. His wisdom and peaceful position was admired by many and has set the tone for movements today like Black Lives Matter.
Without his efforts, who knows how much longer it would’ve taken for people of color to gain equal rights. One of the posts I saw on Twitter was from Bernice King, MLK’s daughter, saying she wants people to celebrate her mother, Coretta Scott King, on this day too.
While many people know she was the first lady of the civil rights movement and a human’s rights activist, not many people celebrate her in the light she deserves. If you dig deeper and think about it, how did Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy live on after he was assassinated? Mrs. King played a major role in making his sure he was remembered and she made great strides of her own as a leader.
Most people don’t know that Mrs. King’s activism started before she met MLK. In college she joined her local chapter of the NAACP as well as the Antioch Association of Race Relations and Civil Liberties. After she received her 2 degrees as an undergrad, she went to grad school for music where she met Martin. They got married the year before he graduated and together they raised four children and lead the civil rights movement.
While Martin Luther King was loved by many, he was not loved by everyone. After he was assassinated, there wasn’t a switch that made everyone start admiring him. Race and equal rights was still an issue. Because such tensions still existed, Mrs. King remained active within the Civil Rights Movement. Her leadership didn’t stop there, she traveled all over the world to talk about the rights of women, the LBGTQ+ community, the homeless, the importance of education, environment justice and the list goes on.
Two major accomplishments of Mrs. King was creating the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change and making Martin Luther King Day a national holiday. The King center is located in a 23 acre national park in Atlanta and it serves as both a social change nonprofit institution and memorial for Martin Luther King. She remained President, Chair and Executive Officer of the King Center until her retirement in the 90s. Mrs. King campaigned and fought to make Martin Luther King Day a national holiday and in January 1986, she was able to celebrate the first Martin Luther King Day.
Mrs. King’s accomplishments are endless. She received over 60 honorary degrees, she stood alongside Nelson Mandela when he was sworn into office and she traveled all over the world to fight for human rights and share her wisdom. She will forever be known as one of the most influential leaders of her time. Without her contributions, Martin Luther King day wouldn’t be a holiday celebrated by millions so taking the time to honor her as well is a must.
–– Briyana Johnson