Thursday, February 09, 2006

Coretta Scott King: Tributes from around the world

As a follow-up to my earlier posting on the death of Coretta Scott King I would like to open with some words from this great woman. Apparently a number of people out there raising Hell around the world today via violent protests just didn’t get her message so I will repeat it here:

“We must make our hearts instruments of Peace and Non-Violence because when the heart is right, the mind and the body will follow.”

The second thing that I would like to do is to correct my earlier statement about where Coretta Scott King died. It is now known that Mrs. King died in a small,
private alternative health and rehabilitation center located in Rosarito Beach, Mexico just south of San Diego, California. The hospital has since been closed pending an investigation by Mexican government health authorities. Apparently my January 31st news source (the mainstream press) got it wrong by associating the Hospital Santa Monica with Santa Monica, California. There may be a mildly brewing controversy over the Mexican hospital’s practices according to an article in the New York Times “Clinic where Coretta King died attracts the desperate” and this article at the United States - Mexico Border Health Commission website and this article about Dr. Kurt Donsbach at QuackWatch.org.

As I was explaining (teaching) to some of my eager young West African friends from Togo and Gabon and Liberia this afternoon during a conversation about the late
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his beautiful wife Coretta Scott King, their struggles, actions, and words of wisdom were for ALL people who seek justice and freedom from oppression, not only for black Americans and for other minorities that live in the United States of America. ALL People! Black White Green Brown Blue and Yellow … and Red too! Everybody. My how we will miss you, Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

I’d like to leave you with these beautiful words from the young and talented Atlanta, Georgia poet Aria Nicole, who had the opportunity to meet Mrs. King in person and visit some of the landmarks associated with the MLK Legacy:
(Note: our thanks to Sue MacDonald at Blogpulse Newswire for the hot tip!)

“Soon one morning when this life is over I’ll fly away”

This song always reminds me of my grandmother. It was one of her fovorite songs and also one that she personnally requested to be sang at her funeral. Today this song has been heavy on my mind. I have been very heavy hearted all day today over the news that Mrs. Coretta Scott King passed away. My heart and spirit are always heavy when we, especially those of us in the black community lose such iconic figurers. But today, I feel it truly is the end of an era. The King legacy is now forever changed. Mrs. Coretta Scott King is the one and only person from the civil rights movement that I was ever fortunate enough to meet and share her space. Even if it was for just a little while. …” (Read more)


Views and eulogies from American bloggers:
Shay of
Booker Rising blog (multiple postings):
Something else should have been buried yesterday
Mrs. King’s Funeral – Kneegrows, Bush, and Black People
Quotes from King Funeral
Corretta Scott Kings dies at 78
The Death of a Queen

Cliopatria blog at
History News Network (George Mason University)
Speaking Truth to Power by Ralph E. Luker
Farewell to Two Feminists by Ralph E. Luker
Coretta Scott King was more than just Dr. King’s wife by Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Note: also see History News Network search for
Coretta Scott King

Atlanta author and poet Aria Nicole “
The End of an Era
Blogpulse Newswire “
Condolences for Coretta Scott King

Views and eulogies from African bloggers:
Letter from Lidia:
No One Will Fill Her Shoes
Mshairi: Two Women
Chippla’s Weblog: Coretta Scott King
Ethnic Loft: Relatives of Yesterday – Celebrating Black History Month

Articles from the African Press (via AllAfrica.com)
Zambia (The Post):
Mama Coretta King
Namibia (New Era): Nujoma, Pohamba pay homage to late King

Articles and features from the American Press and Media:
PBS Online News Hour (video):
Farewell to Coretta Scott King
The Washington Post: A Full Partner in the Dream
Coretta Scott King’s Legacy Celebrated in Final Farewell

Additional online resources:
Google News search:
Coretta Scott King
Technorati blog search: Coretta Scott King
Intelliseek’s Blogpulse search: Coretta Scott King
Blogger (Google) blog search: Coretta Scott King

Stanford University:
The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute
Wikipedia: Coretta Scott King

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3 comments:

TheMalau said...

I am going to post about this in the coming days.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jewels,

I just wanted to say thank you for linking to my journal entry on the passing of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. I found out that you had linked to me by mere accident. I was just bored and while playing online last night decided to google myself just to see what if anything interesting was out there on me. I was so overjoyed to see that you had linked to my entry. Alot of times when we speak or write from the heart we wonder if anyone is even paying attention. So it really means alot to me to know that you are and that you allowed others to feel my heart as well.

God Bless you,

Aria Nicole

BRE said...

You are very welcome Aria. I linked to your post because you have done a good job in expressing your feelings about a very important figure in the history of our country, the late Coretta Scott King. Be sure to follow the work over at Global Voices Online and you need to keep writing and publishing online as well. The World needs all the help it can get and every little bit counts. That's what Coretta Scott King was attempting to teach us, right?

Do come back again for a visit at Jewels in the Jungle and stay in touch.