Remembering the dream
CALIFORNIA – Decades after the death of her husband, Coretta Scott King continues to speak out against racism, violence, poverty and war, in an effort to inspire today’s youth to rise up and take a stand for human rights everywhere. More than 1,000 people crowded Steele Auditorium at California University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday to hear King, the widow of slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., speak about her husband’s impact on American culture.
The 75-year-old King said her husband’s legacy is “woven into the fabric of American society,” evident in the fact that people of different colors eat in the same restaurants, sit in the same classrooms and drink from the same water fountains.
“To me, the most precious part of his legacy is the hope and inspiration and the courage and dedication his life and work gave to others,” she said.
Speaking passionately about their personal relationship and her husband’s fight for human rights, King said that looking back, she realizes he tried to prepare her for the violent end that ultimately killed his dreams of a peace and justice in America.
“He told me once that people who challenge the status quo are targets,” she said, remembering the many threats made to her family. “He loved life but made a decision to lead a movement that put his life in danger. He wanted to help his people and uplift the nation that he loved. It was a price he was willing to pay. This empowered his legacy with enduring credibility.”
But King said she too was a part of her husband’s fight.
She said she is often identified as the widow of America’s great civil rights leader, but she explained that she was her husband’s partner and co-worker and had been involved in social activism since her days at college, before she met her husband.
She founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change to educate people on her husband’s beliefs to encourage others to get involved in their communities.
“I would also like to be thought of as a complex, three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood human being with a rich storehouse of experiences,” King said.
“I would like to think that my work has helped make life a little better for your generation. …In the same way, I hope your life’s labor will open doors.”
King, in her efforts to motivate others to take a stand against injustices all over the world, brought to light a number of issues plaguing society.
She said America needs stronger legislation against hate crimes. She urged the audience to defend affirmative action, explaining that it benefits all families and is most beneficial to white women.
And, she said people should fight for affordable tuition and health care.
“Nothing less is acceptable for a country as wealthy as America,” she said.
She also argued that it is time for people to “confront and reduce violence in our society,” through stronger gun control and domestic violence laws and abolishing the death penalty.
She urged people not to patronage music and films that celebrate violence and support artists who affirm human rights, justice and peace.
But King’s message wasn’t limited to the problems of America. She spoke out for all countries facing poverty and poor living conditions.
She called for a cancellation of Africa’s debt to the United States and said America must “break its addiction to Mideast oil” and find another way to deal with terrorism.
“I don’t have all the answers, but there are better ways to reach out to those people,” she said.
King said she has a dream of peace that the United States has never known, a dream that consists of a vibrant, prospering democracy in all nations throughout the world, where no child would go hungry or go without shelter.
King urged young people to rise up against these issues, to take a stand and find an answer to today’s problems.
“Arise now, young people. This is your time, and the hour of your appointment with history is approaching,” she said. “Rise up now and come forward from the shadows. The torch of leadership is being passed to you. Rise up now and work for peace, dignity and human rights for all people.”