07 LC 21
9470
House
Resolution 686
By:
Representatives Abdul-Salaam of the
74th,
Brooks of the
63rd,
Smyre of the
132nd,
Williams of the
165th,
Williams of the
89th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Declaring
Coretta Scott King Day in Georgia; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
Coretta Scott was born on April 27, 1927, in Heiberger in Perry County, Alabama,
near Marion, the second of three children born to Obediah Scott, an enterprising
entrepreneur, and Bernice McMurray Scott; and in 1945, she enrolled at Antioch
College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, pursuing majors in music and education;
and
WHEREAS,
on June 18, 1953, Coretta Scott married Martin Luther King, Jr., with the
Reverend King, Sr., officiating at the wedding ceremony, and over the next ten
years, the couple welcomed four children into their family: Yolanda Denise on
November 17, 1955; Martin Luther III on October 23, 1957; Dexter Scott on
January 30, 1961; and Bernice Albertine on March 28, 1963; and
WHEREAS,
in 1956, when her first child was not even a year old, Mrs. King stood by her
husband´s side as the Montgomery bus boycott began, and never did her
support and conviction waver, not when her house was bombed and not when her
husband was jailed, assaulted, and murdered for his commitment to human rights;
she shared her husband´s steadfast commitment to seeking peace and justice
through nonviolent action and played a leading role in advocating social change
across the nation and throughout the world during his lifetime and thereafter,
and she continued to be a prominent voice in maintaining the enduring legacy of
her husband´s dreams to the moment of her death; and
WHEREAS,
while Dr. King is an undisputed hero of the movement, excelling in the sincerity
of his conviction and his unwillingness to compromise in matters of nonviolence,
Mrs. King is a hero in her own right, but sadly, even though she has received
many honors, most 'mainstream' Americans do not know of her accomplishments, her
convictions, and her tireless work on behalf of a free and equal
society.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body declare April 27, 2007, to be Coretta Scott King Day in
Georgia.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the public
and the press.