Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King example essay topic

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927 in Heiberger, Alabama. Heiberger was a small segregated town. Coretta's parents were Obadiah and Bernice Scott. She has an older sister named Edythe and a younger brother, Obie. Coretta was named after her grandmother Cora Scott. Her family was hard working and devoted Christians.

Coretta had a strong temper, feared no one and stood up for herself. Coretta, Edythe and Obie had to walk three miles to an all-black school in Heiberger. Coretta faced many challenges in school and when she would come back from school she would ask her mother why is this happening. Her mother encouraged her to do her best in school and not to worry about anything except education. Remembering what her mother told her, Coretta was able to focus on her education and graduate at the top of her class. When it was time for her to enter seventh grade, both Coretta and Edythe were arranged to go to another black school called the Lincoln School, which was ten miles away in Marion.

Marion was too far to walk back and forth everyday and there was no bus for the black students. The only way for them to get to school was to catch a ride with a black family but they had to pay. By the age of ten, Coretta and Edythe had to pick cotton to get money in the cotton fields. At the Lincoln School Coretta was taught by white and black teachers. She learned that white people from the North treated blacks equally. Coretta was anxious to learn at her new school and she made many friends.

Coretta had always loved music and she has an amazing musical talent. She learned to play the piano and the trumpet at her school. Coretta and Edythe were both in a choir called the Lincoln School Little Chorus. In 1941 the choir traveled to some midwestern colleges, this helped open doors for Coretta and Edythe's future. In September 1945 Coretta went to Antioch College, this college was integrated.

Her closest friend was Sally Plotkin. Coretta found out she was behind in her work but she forced herself to work much more harder. She joined the Quaker peace groups at the college and learned to play the violin as well as singing in the college choir. After going to Antioch College, Coretta went to Boston's New England Conservatory of Music.

When Coretta met a wonderful man named Martin Luther King Jr., it seemed like Martin wanted to marry her. Coretta took several months to think about being married, she even asked her sister if she should. When she decided to get married to Martin she made two commitments to him. In June 1953 Coretta and Martin were married and moved to Montgomery, Alabama in 1954. She has four children named Yolanda, Martin Luther, Dexter and Bernice. On many occasions Coretta and Martin fought for the freedom of blacks.

Coretta's first action to support freedom with Martin was the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. In 1956 whites and blacks were able to sit wherever they wanted to on a first come first served basis. In 1959 Coretta, Martin and her four children moves to Atlanta, Georgia. Coretta joins Martin in the Selma to Montgomery march in 1959 and in 1967 Coretta made a commitment to world peace. For many years they fought for the civil rights movement. In the year of 1963 Martin made a speech called "I Have A Dream".

When he was killed Coretta took his place in fulfilling that dream. She made speeches, she built a center in honor of him called the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change and she also signs and leads the march for Martin Luther King's birthday, a national holiday. Until this day Coretta Scott King still fights to accomplish her husband's dream!