Nick Rahall: “today we mark with sadness the passing of Coretta Scott King, a true patriot in the American Civil Rights Movement. But…”

“today we mark with sadness the passing of Coretta Scott King, a true patriot in the American Civil Rights Movement. But we also celebrate, together, a life well-lived and remember with fondness the accomplishments of a remarkable woman who, with the sound of a gunshot on April 4, 1968, moved swiftly and strongly from the role of supporting preacher's wife to torchbearer of her husband's mission for equality. Mrs. King herself once said, following her husband Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, ``Because his task was not finished, I felt that I must rededicate myself to the completion of his work.'' And that she certainly did. Whether meeting with such pivotal figures in the civil rights movement as the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, her husband's former chief of staff, and Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X, or marching with activists from across America, Mrs. King made it clear from early on that the dream of Martin Luther King would live on, as would his legacy. She lobbied for over 10 years to have her husband's legacy honored and President Reagan finally granted her wish in 1983, when he signed the federal holiday into law. And determined to ensure Americans did not forget her husband or his dream of a colorblind society, she created a memorial and a forum in the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. Mrs. King was the matriarch of a movement, a dedicated and loving mother to a family in the face of loss, and a model to us all.…”