On This Day In Alabama History: Coretta Scott Was Born In Marion

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

April 27, 1927

Civil rights activist and author Coretta Scott was born on this day in 1927. A high school valedictorian, she went to Antioch College in Ohio, where he older sister Edythe was the first African-American to attend. There she became active in the local chapter of the NAACP, and unsuccessfully lobbied to work toward her teaching certificate with the local Yellow Springs Schools.

Scott transferred to study music in Boston, where she was introduced to Martin Luther King Jr. They married in 1953, and she moved with him to Montgomery in 1954 as he assumed the role of pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The Kings raised four children, all of whom work in the field of advancing civil rights. After the assassination of her husband, Coretta Scott King continued his legacy, lobbying for the creation of the King Center, and the institution of a national holiday on the third Monday in January, near his Jan. 15 birthday.Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Please visit Alabama News Center for the Full Article

Tags: exp8

Category: ALL POSTS, Partner News Stories