Katie Porter: “on January 31, 2006, a woman of grace and dignity passed from this life to the next. Today, with the passage of House…”

“on January 31, 2006, a woman of grace and dignity passed from this life to the next. Today, with the passage of House Resolution 655, we honor the life and legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott King and her contributions as a leader in the Civil Rights struggle. There are few whose life and example transform a nation. Dr. Martin Luther King was one of those few whose exemplary life gave the promise of hope and equality to every race and color of people. But the struggles he endured as a national leader were not suffered alone. By his side stood a woman of gentleness and grace who joined triumphantly in his victories and suffered greatly in his pain. Mrs. King embraced the principles and themes of nonviolence that her husband fought to bring to the forefront of the American psyche. After Dr. King's death in 1968, it was Mrs. King who kept his work and legacy alive. Through her, Americans were challenged to remember the sacrifices that her husband made for nonviolence, peace and equality. As a nation, we must embrace the challenges that Dr. King and Mrs. King laid before us. At the advent of African American history month, we must remember the struggles for freedom that slaves and abolitionists jointly fought for to achieve emancipation and we must remember the struggles for equality that the many African Americans and civil rights leaders sought to escape during the Jim Crow era.…”