I remember driving to work listening to NPR on January 30th, 2006. They just announced that Coretta Scott King had passed away. I could barely drive, I was crying so hard. What a loss for all of us that work for ensuring civil rights for ALL. We still have so far to come to create true equality for our African-American brothers and sisters.
We also still have huge obstacles to overcome before we have full civil rights for the LGBT community. I'm so grateful we have a holiday when we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, I would also like to remember Coretta Scott King. Coretta showed great courage and her consistent indomitable spirit as she spoke for marriage equality:
I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice… But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’ … I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people…We have a lot of work to do in our common struggle against bigotry and discrimination. I say ‘common struggle,’ because I believe very strongly that all forms of bigotry & discrimination are equally wrong and should be opposed by right-thinking Americans everywhere. Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender, or ethnic discrimination.
As with the loss of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the loss of Coretta Scott King, I think we are all looking for a strong leader and voice of reason that will continue to fight for equal rights for ALL. I do believe each of us can be that change–each of us can be the collective change needed if we band together and show solidarity in the face of bigotry. Click here to see the full article on Coretta Scott King. For those of you that follow this blog, you knew I had to include a song from Sweet Honey in the Rock.