Coretta Scott King kept her husband's dream alive

Who tells your story? For Martin Luther King, Jr., it was his wife Coretta Scott King. I was reminded of this by a tweet on Twitter from one of King's children:

As you honor my father today, please remember and honor my mother, as well. She was the architect of the King Legacy and founder of @TheKingCenter, which she founded two months after Daddy died. Without #CorettaScottKing, there would be no #MLKDay. #MLK50Forward #MLK pic.twitter.com/qhwSnX9Qmh

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 15, 2018

The reason we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr's life is due to Mrs. King who continued to advocate for civil rights, even after her husband's assassination. It's easy to forget that while we need leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., we also need those who tell their stories and carry on their ideas. Mrs. King devoted her life to telling her husband's story and became a leader herself, championing the work to promote equality.

It was her commitment to keeping her husband's mission alive that made her an ideal candidate for a book award for those who also promote Martin Luther King, Jr's dream through their work. To honor Mrs. King and her husband's commitment to making the world a better place, two school librarians - Mabel McKissick and Glyndon Greer - initiated a book award in 1969 to highlight outstanding African American authors and illustrators of children's and young adult stories that "demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values" (The History of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards). The awards continue to be given annually.

So while yesterday we celebrated the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., we also should honor and thank his wife for persisting to ensure he was remembered.

Other resources:

• Browse all recipients of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards
• Interested in learning more about Coretta Scott King? We have her biography My life, my love, my legacy in print, audiobook, and ebook formats.