Coretta Scott King: Woman of Courage

Unfortunately, I missed a timely comment on the death of Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cynthia Tucker, however, does a much better job remembering her than I could:

Still, she continued to stand for social justice, adopting an expansive vision that many other civil rights activists were unable or unwilling to share. She didn't just support Nelson Mandela; she also supported Corazon Aquino. She gave Bono, the Irish rock star, an award for his anti-poverty work in the developing world. And, when many older civil rights leaders were mired in their own homophobia, she spoke out against anti-gay bigotry.

Two years ago, at a commemorative dinner during the King holiday weekend, I approached Mrs. King as she sat taking pictures with admirers. I had long wanted to tell her that I was impressed by her courageous denunciations of homophobia. One of her aides -- having read my columns criticizing King family antics that had left me unimpressed -- couldn't resist the irony: He suggested I have my picture taken with her, too.

For more on Mrs. King's support of equality for ALL people, you can read this BaT post on the divided King family.