Assassination of husband Coretta Scott King

martin luther king, jr. shot , killed in memphis, tennessee on april 4, 1968. learned of shooting after being called jesse jackson when returned shopping eldest child yolanda. king had difficulty settling children news father deceased. received large number of telegrams, including 1 lee harvey oswald s mother, regarded 1 touched most.

in effort prepare daughter bernice, 5 years old, funeral, tried explain next time saw father in casket , not speaking. when asked son dexter when father return, king lied , told him father had been badly hurt. senator robert kennedy ordered 3 more telephones installed in king residence king , family able answer flood of calls received , offered plane transport memphis. coretta spoke kennedy day after assassination , asked if persuade jacqueline kennedy attend husband s funeral him.

robert kennedy promised way could. king told not go ahead , agree kennedy s offer southern christian leadership conference members, told presidential ambitions. ignored warnings , went along request. on april 5, 1968, king arrived in memphis retrieve husband s body , decided casket should kept open during funeral hope children realize upon seeing body not coming home. mrs. king called photographer bob fitch , asked documentation done, having known him years. on april 7, 1968, former vice president richard nixon visited mrs. king , recalled first meeting husband in 1955. nixon went mrs. king s husband s funeral on april 9, 1968, did not walk in procession. nixon believed participating in procession grandstanding.

on april 8, 1968, mrs. king , children headed march sanitation workers husband had planned carry out before death. after marchers reached staging area @ civic center plaza in front of memphis city hall, onlookers proceeded take pictures of king , children stopped when addressed @ microphone. said despite martin luther king, jr. being away children @ times, children knew daddy loved them, , time spent them spent. prior martin s funeral, jacqueline kennedy met her. 2 spent 5 minutes , despite short visit, coretta called comforting. king s parents arrived alabama. robert kennedy , wife ethel came, latter being embraced mrs. king. mrs. king , sister-in-law christine king farris tried prepare children seeing martin s body. end of funeral service, mrs. king led children , mourners in march church morehouse college, late husband s alma mater.

early widowhood

two days after husband s death, king spoke @ ebenezer baptist church , made first statement on views since had died. said husband told children, if man had nothing worth dying for, not fit live. brought ideals , fact may dead, concluded spirit never die. not long after assassination, coretta took place @ peace rally in new york city. using notes had written before death, king constructed own speech. coretta approached african-american entertainer , activist josephine baker take husband s place leader of civil rights movement. baker declined after thinking over, stating twelve adopted children (known rainbow tribe ) ...too young lose mother . shortly after mrs. king decided take helm of movement herself.

coretta scott king broadened focus include women s rights, lgbt rights, economic issues, world peace, , various other causes. december 1968, called women unite , form solid block of women power fight 3 great evils of racism, poverty , war , during solidarity day speech. on april 27, 1968, king spoke @ anti-war demonstration in central park in place of husband. king made clear there no reason why nation rich ours should blighted poverty, disease , illiteracy. king used notes taken husband s pockets upon death, included ten commandments on vietnam. on june 5, 1968, bobby kennedy shot after winning california primary democratic nomination president of united states. after died following day, ethel kennedy, king had spoken husband 2 months earlier, widowed. king flew los angeles comfort ethel on bobby s death. on june 8, 1968, while king attending late senator s funeral, justice department made announcement of james earl ray s arrest.

not long after this, king household visited mike wallace, wanted visit , rest of family , see how fairing coming christmas. introduced family wallace , expressed belief there not martin luther king, jr. because comes around once in century or maybe once in thousand years . furthered believed children needed more ever, , there hope redemption in husband s death. in january 1969, king , bernita bennette left trip india. before arriving in country, 2 stopped in verona, italy , king awarded universal love award. king became first non-italian receive award. king traveled london sister, sister-in-law, bernita , several others preach @ st. paul s cathedral. before, no woman had ever delivered sermon @ regularly appointed service in cathedral.

as leader of movement, mrs. king founded martin luther king, jr. center nonviolent social change in atlanta. served center s president , ceo inception until passed reins of leadership son dexter scott king. removing herself leadership, allowed focus on writing, public speaking , spend time parents.

she published memoirs, life martin luther king, jr., in 1969. president richard nixon advised against visiting on first anniversary of death, since outrage many people.

coretta scott king under surveillance federal bureau of investigation 1968 until 1972. husband s activities had been monitored during lifetime. documents obtained houston, texas television station show fbi worried coretta scott king tie anti-vietnam movement civil rights movement. fbi studied memoir , concluded selfless, magnanimous, decorous attitude belied by...[her] actual shrewd, calculating, businesslike activities. spokesman king family said aware of surveillance, had not realized how extensive was.