06 LC
21 8932
House
Resolution 1859
By:
Representatives Abdul-Salaam of the
74th,
Brooks of the
63rd,
Morgan of the
39th,
Smyre of the
132nd,
Stanley-Turner of the
53rd,
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, Perry County, Alabama,
near Marion. She was 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 Reverend
King, Sr., officiating at the wedding ceremony. Over the next ten years, the
couple welcomed four children into their family: Yolanda Denise, November 17,
1955; Martin Luther III, October 23, 1957; Dexter Scott, January 30, 1961; and
Bernice Albertine, March 28, 1963; and
WHEREAS,
in 1956, when her first child was not even a year old, Mrs. King stood by her
husband́s
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
husband́s
steadfast commitment to seek 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
husband́s
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. 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; and
WHEREAS,
the members of this body wish to honor the public service and accomplishments of
our most accomplished adopted daughter, Coretta Scott King, for her dignified
but unyielding stand for equal rights and dignity and for her incalculable
contributions to the citizens of this state, our country, and the
world.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body designate April 27 as 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.