Coretta Scott King

2003 Honoree

Beside every great man is a great woman. She has stood beside many great men, including Pope John Paul, the Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and her late husband, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And in her own right, Coretta Scott King has become one of the most influential women leaders in our world today.

Born and raised in Marion, Alabama, Mrs. King graduated valedictorian from Lincoln High School. She received a bachelor's degree in music and education from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then went on to study concert singing at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music, where she earned a degree in voice and violin.

She entered the world stage in 1955 as Dr. King's wife and as a leading participant in the American Civil Rights Movement. Her remarkable partnership with Dr. King resulted not only in four talented children but a life devoted to the highest values of human dignity in service to social change.

Since her husband's assassination in 1968, Mrs. King has devoted much of her energy to building the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a living memorial to her husband's life and dream. Another of her greatest legacies is the massive educational and lobbying campaign that Mrs. King spearheaded to establish Dr. King's birthday as a national holiday.

Mrs. King has traveled throughout the nation and world speaking out on behalf of racial and economic justice, women's and children's rights, gay and lesbian dignity, religious freedom, the needs of the poor and homeless, health care, educational opportunities and nuclear disarmament.

Mrs. King has received honorary doctorates from over 40 colleges and universities, and has authored three books and a nationally syndicated column. She has served, and helped found, many organizations, including the Black Leadership Forum, National Black Coalition for Voter Participation, Black Leadership Roundtable, Full Employment Action Council, Coalition of Conscience and Soviet-American Women's Summit.

She calls on all young Americans who want to fulfill the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. "to study his teachings, embrace his philosophy and get involved in community service and nonviolent action for social change."