Coretta Scott King

With the passing of Coretta Scott King, a connection to history has been lost, a chapter closed. Mrs. King, a proud and dignified woman, one of amazing strength and brilliance has moved on to a place of peace.

In 1990, according to the census, the State of Maine was 98.4% white. I'm willing to bet that when I was a student at the William H. Jenkins Elementary School in Fort Fairfield, Maine in the 1970's, the state was a lot LESS diverse. When I was in first grade, I remember crossing the school yard of my rural, economically disadvantaged town and entering the library in the Hacker School basement. There I found a children's biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Some "devine intervention" must have placed that book there.

The book was shocking. I could not believe what I read. If I remember right, this was the simple story of Martin going shoe shopping with his family, and having to use a different door and shop quietly in the back of the store. In all of my 7-year-old wisdom and my Sesame Street values, I was horrified. I could not believe that there was a time when white people made Black people use different water fountains, different doors, shop in the back of the store. This, of course, led to the even more disturbing discovery that there was also a time when white people abducted, held captive, tortured and enslaved other human beings. That book founded my passion for civil rights.

My image of Mrs. King, who I met ever-so-briefly in 2000, is one of a woman of poise, grace, intelligence. I believe in and have faith in her and her work. I cannot say the same for anyone living or working in the U.S. government. Perhaps they are there, but I don't know who they are. In my heart and mind, I know that the perserverence of the Kings did more for this country than any of our modern day elected "leaders." I see politicians as greedy, power-hungry cowards, especially ones with names like Bush or Cheney.

As a memorial to Coretta Scott King and her late husband, every act of community service I perform, any call for peace or any social justice action I participate in, I will do in their memory. I'm not sure now yet how I will make larger contributions in those areas, I just hope that when the opportunity presents itself, I'll be able to commit myself to it.

[Post Script: January 15, 2007 ~ "The King Holiday" The opportunity presented itself in a great way. Last summer I accepted the post of Data Production Specialist at the Unitarian Universalist Assocation. I'm back in the arena I love, using my skills (which I think would bore the average person to death but I love) working every day on social justice issues. How'd I get so lucky?]