On January 31, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 362) honoring the life and accomplishments of Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, Jr. The resolution pays tribute to Mrs. King’s contributions as a leader in the struggle for civil rights and expresses condolences to the King family on her passing. The House approved a similar resolution (H. Res. 655) by voice vote on February 1.
Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), the resolutions contain a number of findings, including:
Calling her “an extraordinarily gracious woman,” Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) recounted a personal story of Mrs. King: “I had the great honor of knowing Mrs. King, and the occasion to visit with her in Atlanta last year…We sat and chatted in her living room. She showed me an album of photographs of her, Dr. King and the children. Then she told me what her husband had said to her once, at a time when she was feeling burdened, understandably, by all the stress and strain that had been placed on the family as a consequence of his role in the civil rights movement. She said her husband advised, ‘When you are willing to make sacrifices for a great cause, you will never be alone. Because you will have divine companionship and the support of good people.’
“She truly was a remarkable woman,” said Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH) of Mrs. King. “She deserves enormous credit for carrying on the legacy of Dr. King and taking this message to America. I just have to say that she did this with great humility, with great understanding, and great ability to persuade those that she came in contact with, with groups and leaders across the Nation, of the importance of the King message.”
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) extended her condolences to the King family, saying, “We will always remember her, and we will always know that because of her, Martin Luther King was able to do what he was able to do; because of her, her children are doing what they are able to do; because of her, many of us are able to see things a little bit differently and honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King and support nonviolence.”