Civil Rights Movement Coretta Scott King

1 civil rights movement

1.1 house bombing
1.2 john f. kennedy phone call
1.3 kennedy presidency
1.4 fbi tapes
1.5 johnson presidency

civil rights movement

mrs. king husband , daughter yolanda in 1956

on september 1, 1954, martin luther king, jr. became full-time pastor of dexter avenue baptist church. sacrifice coretta, had give dreams of becoming classical singer. devotion cause while giving on own ambitions become symbolic of actions of african-american women during movement. couple moved church s parsonage on south jackson street shortly after this. coretta became member of choir , taught sunday school, participating in baptist training union , missionary society. made first appearance @ first baptist church on march 6, 1955, according e. p. wallace, captivated concert audience.

the kings welcomed first child yolanda on november 17, 1955, named @ coretta s insistence , became church s attention. after husband became involved in montgomery bus boycott, king received threats directed towards him. in january 1956, king answered numerous phone calls threatening husband s life, rumors intended make african-americans dissatisfied king s husband spread martin had purchased buick station wagon her. martin luther king, jr. give nickname yoki, , thereby, allow himself refer out of name. end of boycott, mrs. king , husband had come believe in nonviolent protests way of expression consistent biblical teachings. 2 days after integration of montgomery s bus service, on december 23, gunshot rang through front door of king home while king, husband , yolanda asleep. 3 not harmed. on christmas eve of 1955, king took daughter parents s house , met siblings well. yolanda first grandchild. king s husband joined them next day, @ dinner time.

on february 21, 1956, king s husband announced return montgomery after picking coretta , daughter atlanta, staying parents. during martin luther king, sr. s opposition son s choice return montgomery, mrs. king picked daughter , went upstairs, express dismay in later , tell had run out on him. 2 days later, coretta , husband drove montgomery. coretta took active role in advocating civil rights legislation. on april 25, 1958, king made first appearance @ concert year @ peter high school auditorium in birmingham, alabama. performance sponsored omicron lambda chapter of alpha phi alpha fraternity, king changed few songs in first part of show still continued basic format used 2 years earlier @ new york gala told story of montgomery bus boycott. concert important coretta way continue professional career , participate in movement. concert gave audience emotional connection messages of social, economic, , spiritual transformation.

on september 3, 1958, king accompanied husband , ralph abernathy courtroom. husband arrested outside courtroom loitering , failing obey officer. few weeks later, king visited martin s parents in atlanta. @ time, learned had been stabbed while signing copies of book stride toward freedom on september 20, 1958. king rushed see husband, , stayed him remainder of time in hospital recovering. on february 3, 1959, king, husband , lawrence reddick started five-week tour of india. 3 invited hundreds of engagements. during trip, coretta used singing ability enthuse crowds during month-long stay. 2 returned united states on march 10, 1959.

house bombing

on january 30, 1956, coretta , dexter congregation member roscoe williams s wife mary lucy heard sound of brick striking concrete floor of front porch. coretta suggested 2 women out of front room , went guest room, house disturbed explosion caused house rock , fill front room smoke , shattered glass. 2 went rear of home, yolanda sleeping , coretta called first baptist church , reported bombing woman answered phone. martin returned home, , upon finding coretta , daughter unharmed, went outside. confronted angry crowd of supporters, had brought guns. able turn them away impromptu speech.

a white man reported lone witness have walked halfway king s door , thrown against door before running car , speeding off. ernest walters, lone witness, did not manage license plate number because of how events transpired. both of couple s fathers contacted them on bombing. 2 arrived @ same time, along husband s mother , brother. coretta s father obie said take , daughter marion if son-in-law did not take them atlanta. coretta refused proclamation, , insisted on staying husband. despite martin luther king, sr. advocating leave father, king persisted in leaving him. author octavia b. vivian wrote night coretta lost fear of dying. committed herself more freedom struggle, martin had done 4 days previously, when jailed first time in life. coretta later call first time realized how meant martin in terms of supporting him in doing .

john f. kennedy phone call

martin luther king jailed on october 19, 1960, picketing in department store. after being released 3 days later, coretta s husband sent jail on october 22 driving alabama license while being resident of georgia , sent jail 4 months of hard labor. after husband s arrest, king believed not make out alive , telephoned friend harris wofford , cried while saying re going kill him. know going kill him. directly after speaking her, wofford contacted sargent shriver in chicago, presidential candidate john f. kennedy campaigning @ time, , told shriver of king s fears husband. after shriver waited kennedy alone, suggested telephone king , express sympathy. kennedy called king, after agreeing proposal.

sometime afterward, bobby kennedy obtained king s release prison. martin luther king, sr. grateful release voted kennedy , said ll take catholic or devil himself if ll wipe tears daughter-in-law s eyes. according coretta, kennedy said want express concern husband. know must hard on you. understand expecting baby, , want know thinking , dr. king. if there can help, please feel free call on me. kennedy s contact king learned reporters, coretta admitting made me feel called me , let me know how felt.

kennedy presidency

during kennedy s presidency, , husband had come respect him , understood reluctance @ times involved openly civil rights. in april 1962, coretta served delegate women s strike peace conference in geneva, switzerland. martin drove hospital on march 28, 1963, king gave birth fourth child bernice. after king , daughter due come home, martin rushed drive them himself. after husband s arrest on april 12, 1963, king tried make direct contact president kennedy @ advisement of wyatt tee walker, , succeeded in speaking robert f. kennedy. president kennedy father joseph p. kennedy, sr, not feeling well. in has been noted making kennedy seem less sympathetic towards kings, president redirected mrs. king s call white house switchboard.

the next day, president kennedy reported king fbi had been sent birmingham previous night , confirmed husband fine. allowed speak on phone , told inform walker of kennedy s involvement. told husband of assistance kennedys, husband took reason why being polite. regarding march on washington, coretta said, though heaven had come down. coretta had been home day children, since birth of daughter bernice had not allowed attend easter sunday church services. since mrs. king had issued own statement regarding aid of president instead of doing husband had told , report wyatt walker, according author taylor branch, made portrayed reports anxious new mother may have confused white house fantasies reality.

coretta went women strike peace rally in new york, in days of november 1963. after speaking @ meeting held in national baptist church, king joined march central park united nations headquarters. march timed celebrate group s second anniversary , celebrated successful completion of limited nuclear test ban treaty. coretta , martin learned of john f. kennedy s assassination when reports indicated had been wounded. king joined husband upstairs , watched walter cronkite announce president s death. king sat visibly shaken husband following confirmation.

fbi tapes

coretta scott husband , vice president-elect hubert humphrey on december 17, 1964

the fbi planned mail tapes of husband s alleged affairs southern christian leadership conference office since surveillance revealed coretta opened husband s mail when traveling. fbi learned king out of office time tapes mailed , wife 1 open it. j. edgar hoover advised mail southern state. coretta sorted tapes rest of mail, listened them, , called husband, giving bureau great deal of pleasure tone , tenor of reactions. king played tape in presence, along andrew young, ralph abernathy , joseph lowery. publicly, mrs. king couldn t make out of it, lot of mumbo jumbo. tapes part of larger attempt j. edgar hoover denounce king revelations in personal life.

johnson presidency

most prominently, perhaps, worked hard pass civil rights act of 1964. king spoke malcolm x days before assassination. malcolm x told not in alabama make trouble husband, instead make white people have more appreciation king s protests, seeing alternative. on march 26, 1965, king s father joined , husband march later end in montgomery. father caught glimpse of america s true potential , called greatest day in whole history of america after seeing chanting daughter s husband both caucasians , african-americans.

coretta scott king criticized sexism of civil rights movement in january 1966 in new lady magazine, saying in part, not enough attention has been focused on roles played women in struggle. , large, men have formed leadership in civil rights struggle but...women have been backbone of whole civil rights movement. martin luther king, jr. himself limited coretta s role in movement, , expected housewife. king participated in women strike peace protest in january 1968, @ capital of washington, d.c. on 5 thousand women. in honor of first woman elected house of representatives, group called jeannette rankin brigade. coretta co-chaired congress of women conference pearl willen , mary clarke.