From the Shadows: Coretta Scott King and a Woman's Role

I'm a strong woman. I come from a long line of strong, resilient women. I know I'm strong. I've NEVER had to emasculate a man to assume power or in order to feel strong. I hate when people cut down their significant others, but it's especially destructive to young men who are already discouraged from expressing emotions or effeminate traits. The strongest women can bring out the strength in their men. women have ALWAYS been the cornerstone of society & it's lifeline. from the earliest civilizations in mesopotamia to the women who held it the fuck down when the spartans went to war, women empower, uplift & make this world go round (sadly, we just never get the credit). A good woman is ALWAYS the pillar behind a strong man. the BEST first ladies are the ones who took charge: Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton, Jackie Kennedy, Michelle Obama, all women of exemplary strength who've made an impact just as great as their counterparts and husbands. 

I spent the better part of my Martin Luther King Jr. day in downtown Oakland at the African American Museum. I learned a LOT about Martin Luther King, but even more about his wife, Coretta Scott King.  we say a lot about MLK, but we always seem to negate recognition for the strength of Coretta Scott King. MLK died on the balcony of his side chick...the White House leaked tapes of his affairs hoping she would be outraged enough to leave him in order to to vilify MLK & undermine the civil rights movement, but she knew the cause was greater than her marriage & she made the self sacrifice & stuck by his cheating ass. Coretta was a brilliant mind who lead the civil rights movement in the wake of his death (& much so during his lifetime). she uncovered the injustice & made sure the world knew the government had a hand in MLK's assassination (1997 civil trial the government was sued & convicted for their role in the assassination) SHE made this day possible by pushing legislation for MLK day & she continued to fight for civil rights being a prominent ally for the LGBT community until she passed. not many women can be the type of woman Coretta Scott King is & if you ask me that day belongs to her. 

an excerpt from Coretta and Martin: A Love Story:

"Imagine your beloved husband wanting to do what God called him to do, to do what he knew in his heart and soul was the right thing to do, only to face such opposition that he became a moving target, his life an open book for millions to read and critique, and his marriage, to you, fodder for speculation, attack, and ridicule. Imagine scrambling for peaceful moments in the evening, in your own home, feeding him food you cooked, and not knowing the next time you'll be able to do so. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to a phone call telling you that your husband has again been arrested and jailed because he dared assert that you and millions like you have the right to be free. Imagine not being able to hear his laughter for days, weeks, months on end. Imagine your home being subjected to bomb threats and late night drive-by attacks as you put your children to bed, alone. Imagine the phone ringing countless times, answering it only to hear hissing allegations and threats on the other end. Imagine longing for his warm touches and caresses to soothe your fears and warm your soul. Imagine waiting for some word, any word, from your beloved that he is alive, that he is still on this Earth with you and being afraid to close your eyes because you fear waking up and learning that he is not.

Now, imagine, as CNN reported in 2008, your husband receiving threatening suggestions from the government itself that he take his own life or his extramarital affairs would be made public in an attempt to bring him, and the entire movement, down. Imagine learning that the government so hated his attempts to help your people gain equality that they would seek to shame him, and you, by exposing alleged infidelities you may or may not have been aware of until those threats were received. Imagine the sinking feeling that might be a mix of betrayal, sorrow, confusion, and grief... or maybe something completely different.

Maybe Coretta was aware and loved him anyhow. Maybe, her love for her husband and father of her four children, for her people and her country, were far greater than the weight of hearing such allegations. Maybe her faith in the destiny that God created for her strengthened her more than anything ,and maybe it guided her to remain steadfast in her commitment to the man she loved because she knew her love would sustain an entire movement.

Whatever took place during that time was between Coretta and Martin and I argue that it should remain between them, taken to the graves where their earthly bodies now rest. I want to focus more on the endurance of their commitment to each other and to the "Negro Cause". I want to focus on the strength of the woman who was left to raise four children without their father because the country was not ready to accept her children's right to freedom and equality. I want to focus on the bravery of the woman who took up her husband's mantle when he was killed and spent the rest of her life honoring the love that the two of them shared by upholding his legacy as only his wife could."

Women don't receive enough credit, and shouldn't have to live in the shadows of their husbands legacies, but we can't let that deter us from being the glue and holding things together. LOVE is the future & we need strong women to perpetuate that.