Coretta Scott King Signed Photo Martin Luther King Jr. For Sale

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Guaranteed authentic autographed5 x 7 black and white photo of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. signed by his wife Coretta Scott King.

Coretta Scott King (April 27, 1927– January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

Mrs. King's most prominent role may have been in the years after her husband's 1968 assassination when she took on the leadership of the struggle for racial equality herself and became active in the Women's Movement.

Coretta won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. It was while studying singing at that school that she met Martin Luther King, Jr. In her early life Coretta was as well known as a singer as she was as a civil rights activist, and often incorporated music into her civil rights work. Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr., were married on June 18, 1953, on the lawn of her mother's house; the ceremony was performed by Martin Jr.'s father, Martin Luther King, Sr.. After completing her degree in voice and piano at the New England Conservatory, she moved with her husband to Montgomery, Alabama in September 1954.

Coretta Scott King played an extremely important role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin wrote of her that, "I am indebted to my wife Coretta, without whose love, sacrifices, and loyalty neither life nor work would bring fulfillment. She has given me words of consolation when I needed them and a well-ordered home where Christian love is a reality." Coretta Scott King took part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 and took an active role in advocating for civil rights legislation. Most prominently, perhaps, she worked hard to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Not long after her husband's assassination in 1968, Coretta took the helm of the civil rights movement and broadened her focus to include women's rights, LGBT rights, economic issues, world peace, and various other causes. As early as December 1968, she called for women to "unite and form a solid block of women power to fight the three great evils of racism, poverty and war." Coretta Scott King's support of LGBT rights was strongly criticized by some African-American pastors. She called her critics "misinformed" and said that Martin Luther King's message to the world was one of equality and inclusion.

As leader of the movement, Coretta Scott King founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. She published her memoirs, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1969.

Every year after the assassination of her husband in 1968, Coretta attended a commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to mark his birthday on January 15. She fought for years to make it a national holiday. Murray M. Silver, an Atlanta attorney, made the appeal at the services on January 14, 1979. Coretta Scott King later confirmed that it was the "...best, most productive appeal ever..." Coretta Scott King was finally successful in this in 1986, when Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was made a federal holiday.

During the 1980s, Scott King reaffirmed her long-standing opposition to apartheid, participating in a series of sit-in protests in Washington, D.C. that prompted nationwide demonstrations against South African racial policies.

On January 14, 2006, Coretta made her last public appearance in Atlanta at a dinner honoring her husband's memory. Coretta Scott King, died in the late evening of January 30, 2006. Over 14,000 people gathered for Coretta Scott King's eight-hour funeral. U.S. Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and their wives attended. The Ford family was absent due to the illness of President Ford (who himself died later that year). Former First Lady Barbara Bush, had a previous engagement and also did not attend. Numerous other prominent political and civil rights leaders, including then-U.S. senator Barack Obama, attended the televised service.

Boldly penned. An excellent example. I am also offering many other historic and entertainment memorabilia for sale through my Store as I need to make room in my collection for other recent purchases. Most of these have been purchased by me from reputable sale firms such as Signature House, RR sales, Nate D. Sanders, Early American History sales, Heritage sale Galleries and similar dealers. Most will come with a COA from one of these reputable companies. So please check out my other sales as well. Winning buyer pays shipping and handling of $6.95 (including insurance). Please ask any questions before offerding ends. Good luck and thanks for looking.

This item has been shown 3 times. Coretta Scott King Signed Photo Martin Luther King Jr.: $550