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. Remindingthe audience that Coretta s mission had been to spread herhusband s message of peace and love, Bernice then finishedwith a moving eulogy to her mother, in which she thankedCoretta for setting such a wonderful example.Following theservice, Coretta s remains were taken first by hearse and thenhorse-drawn carriage to the King Center, where they lie inrepose in a temporary crypt beside the marble crypt of herslain husband.Eventually, a tomb for Coretta will be builtalongside Martin s.The spirit of unity and harmony that Coretta Scott Kingadvocated her entire life has not, unfortunately, carried overto her own children.As of this writing, the siblings are deeplydivided over the future of the King Center.In September 2005,the center s board of directors replaced president and CEO Mar-tin Luther King III (who had taken over from his brother, Dex-ter, in January 2004) with his cousin, Isaac Newton Farris, Jr.,the son of Dr.King s sister, Christine; Martin remains a mem-ber of the board of directors.Dexter who, as chairman ofthe board, is the de facto head of the center is leading aneffort to sell the complex to the federal government s NationalPark Service, reasoning that the sale would generate a much- 123The Dream Continuedneeded infusion of money, relieving the King Center of theeconomic burdens to rehabilitate the deteriorating build-ings and grounds.Martin Luther King III and Bernice ada-mantly oppose the idea, fearing government ownership wouldcompromise the center s ideological independence and tonedown Martin and Coretta King s message of social equalityand justice.The family disarray casts an unfortunate shadowon the Kings and their legacy.Nonetheless, Coretta s work has been carried on by themany people she inspired to better themselves and the com-munities in which they live.She deserves to be rememberedfor her luminosity. 124Chronology1927 Born Coretta Scott in Heiberger, Alabama1945 Graduates as valedictorian from segregated Lincoln HighSchool; enters Antioch College on scholarship1951 Graduates from Antioch; enters New EnglandConservatory of Music1952 Meets Martin Luther King, Jr.1953 Marries Martin Luther King, Jr., in Marion, Alabama1954 Graduates from New England Conservatory of Music; movesto Montgomery, Alabama, with Martin1955 Gives birth to Yolanda Denise King; Montgomery bus boy-cott begins1956 King home is firebombed; racial segregation onMontgomery buses is declared unconstitutional;Coretta stages a concert to raise funds for theMontgomery Improvement Association (MIA)1957 Standing in for Martin, Coretta attends a meeting of blackministers in Atlanta; the Southern ChristianLeadership Conference (SCLC) is formed at a follow-upmeeting in New Orleans; son Martin Luther King IIIis born1958 Makes first solo public speaking appearance on Women s Dayat New Hope Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado; Martin isstabbed in Harlem1959 Travels to India with Martin1960 Moves to Atlanta with Martin; joins Women s InternationalLeague for Peace and Freedom1961 Gives birth to Dexter Scott King1962 Travels to Geneva, Switzerland, as part of an internationaldelegation of 50 women to lobby for a ban on atomic-weapons testing 1251963 Gives birth to Bernice Albertine King; participates in theMarch on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; PresidentJohn F.Kennedy is assassinated1964 Performs the first in a series of Freedom Concertsto raise funds for the SCLC s civil-rights causes;accompanies Martin to Oslo, Norway, where hereceives the Nobel Peace Prize1965 Enrolls her two oldest children in a previously all-whitepublic school in Atlanta1966 Moves with family to a public housing unit in Chicago aspart of a campaign against urban poverty; helps foundWomen Mobilized for Change to help cityresidents improve their living conditions1968 Martin is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee; Corettaappears in his place on Solidarity Day at the LincolnMemorial, making a historic speech of her own;announces plans to build Martin Luther King Centerfor Nonviolent Social Change1969 Travels to Italy and India; receives Italian government sUniversal Love Award and visits the Vatican; acceptsIndia s Nehru Award on behalf of Martin; visitsEngland and becomes first woman to give sermon atSt
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