February 13, 2003
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, Mass.—Coretta Scott King, the widow of the slain civil rights leader, will speak on "Fulfilling the Dream in the 21st Century: The Legacy and Challenge of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." in Johnson Chapel at Amherst College on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m., as part of the special events in February for the college's annual celebration of the life of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mrs. King?s talk will be free and open to the public, but seating is limited.
Coretta Scott King was and is a leading participant in the American civil rights movement in her own right. During Dr. King's career, Mrs. King devoted most of her time to raising their four children, but she balanced mothering and movement work.
Mrs. King continues to work for racial and economic justice, women?s and children's rights, gay and lesbian dignity, religious freedom, the needs of the poor and homeless, full-employment, health care, educational opportunities, nuclear disarmament and ecological sanity. She has also worked with many world leaders, including Corazon Aquino, Kenneth Kaunda and Nelson Mandela. Since her husband's assassination in 1968, Mrs. King has devoted much of her energy and attention to developing programs and building the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a living memorial to her husband's life and dream. In 1995 she turned over leadership of the Center to her son, Dexter Scott King, who is bringing his own vision to promoting Dr. King?s teachings through information technology.
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