CLGS Mourns the Passing of Coretta Scott King (1927-2006)
Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged America to live up to its ideals and to the vision of equality and justice for all. After his death, Coretta Scott King kept that challenge alive for a new generation. Her passing can remind us of the progress in civil rights this country has made even as many of the mechanisms of racism are still firmly in place.
Her vision and voice can likewise remind us that the struggle for social justice must transpire not only in the halls of Congress and in courts of law but also and just as importantly in the minds and hearts of America’s citizens. Coretta Scott King, just like her husband, knew that the work of changing people and not just the laws of the land is the work of religion. For decades the King family has challenged Americans with a simple but, sadly, frequently overlooked religious truth: racism and bigotry are incompatible with Christian faith.
Coretta Scott King urged all of us to see the broader implications of this justice work, to see the connections between racism and economics, between sexism and class conflict, between white supremacy and international relations. In recent years she also boldly took a stand for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. These are not distinct and separate issues but instead belong to a seamless garment of justice-making.
As CLGS joins political activist and advocacy groups across the country in remembering and honoring Coretta Scott King’s tireless work for social justice, this can and should become an important opportunity for LGBT communities. Predominantly white LGBT organizations should take this opportunity to reflect on their own commitments to work for racial justice and for economic and gender equality. For no one is free until everyone is free; oppression for some is oppression for all.
The challenge posed to America by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King still stands today – to live up to our highest ideals. Perhaps today more than ever progressive communities of faith must take up that challenge with renewed vigor and make their religious voices heard for the sake of justice. To do so would be truly to honor the legacy of Coretta Scott King’s courageous and pioneering vision. For whenever communities make common cause against injustice, King’s vision lives on.