Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Goodbye, Mrs. King

For those of us born in the late-sixties and after, there never was a living Dr. Martin Luther King. For us the living symbol of the dream of the Civil Rights movement was Coretta Scott King. Widow, mother, keeper of the flame of hope, and lifelong activist; she was articulate, serious, peaceful, strong, and beautiful. Oh so beautiful.

I recently read about a struggle within the King family about how to proceed with the King Center in Atlanta. As grief descends upon the King family, I hope that the legacy of Martin and Coretta will be that of love triumphing over discord. I hope that the pain of grief does not break down the bond of family.

For the rest of us, I hope that history will recognize that the lessons of Nonviolence and Beloved Community were taught to generations of Americans by two Kings. Only one was a queen.

No comments: