By Mitch Holt, Staff Writer
Don’t Believe the Hype
Coretta Scott King, civil rights leader and wife of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died Monday, Jan. 30 in Mexico where she was seeking further treatment for advanced ovarian cancer.
Tuesday thousands of supporters of Dr. and Mrs. King piled into the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., to lay to rest the body of Scott King who, according to daughter Bernice King, was an “incredible example of Christ-like love and obedience.”
Her funeral, at times, became a political forum.
It served as much more than reflection on her life. It was also an inspiring, thought-provoking ceremony that explored dreams of social reform and political renewal.
Scott King, an activist for nonviolent equality and advocate for the poor, would have been pleased with her funeral.
The six-hour service included highlight speeches from President Carter, President Clinton (who was appropriately welcomed like a champ), current President Bush and Rev. Jesse Jackson and Joseph Lowery, advisers for the late Dr. King.
“We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi to know that inequality exists,” President Jimmy Carter said in his speech referring to his views on the racial inequality of Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.
Lowery boisterously expressed Scott King’s passion for the down-and-out in a rousing speech during the service. He emphasized her desire to live in a country that, instead of confronting wars overseas, confronts more important wars of poverty and health care on its own soil.
Lowery’s statements about social reform and Carter’s remarks about racial inequality in America received much applause from those in attendance. Those who truly know the meaning of caring for the poor and breaking racial barriers learn from active individuals like Dr. and Mrs. King.
Coretta Scott King spent her life helping the poor through attempts at social reform. Throughout her life she led nonviolent protest marches for the poverty-stricken and established non-profit organizations. Scott King truly saw the importance in taking care of and giving a voice to the voiceless.
Criticisms of the way President Bush, also in attendance, handled and is handling certain issues – the war and the billions of dollars going to it, Hurricane Katrina and secret domestic wiretapping – came up several times.
How can someone bring politics and issues like these into a funeral?
Well the answer is simple: Scott King’s entire life was devoted to these issues, or at least the ones that dealt with poverty, injustice and racial inequality. She would have been insulted if her funeral didn’t serve as a time to learn – a time for truths to emerge and a charge of resilience to be given to those with a passion for changing the socioeconomic state of the U.S.
Appropriately, the memorial to the fallen activist served its purpose. Now it’s time for supporters of the ideology of Dr. and Mrs. King to serve their purpose.
