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Opinion
 

Ms. King created her own legacy

Kalaiah Vaughn
Opinion Columnist

If ever there was a wife that epitomized the saying, "behind every great man, there is a great woman," Coretta Scott King was that wife. As the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she was catapulted into the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. She became inextricably linked to the cause as she remained a constant supporter of her husband's efforts for social liberation and equality for black Americans. When her husband was assassinated, she faced the same ominous question that Jacqueline Kennedy and Betty Shabazz did when their husbands were assassinated: What would she do next? 

Given the gravity of her situation -- being left to care for four children amidst death threats after her husband's assassination -- one could understand if she faded into the background of the Civil Rights Movement and became a ghostfighter. But she did just the opposite -- she carried on anyway. 

Four days after her husband's death, she spoke at a rally in Memphis on behalf of sanitation workers and poor people. She continued to be a constant and unwavering force in the ongoing struggle for civil rights until her death. She even galvanized millions of Americans to support her in making her husband's birthday a national holiday. Because of her relentless opposition to quitting, America celebrates Mr. King's birthday on the third Monday in January every year. In addition to celebrating her husband's birthday, she also celebrated and honored his legacy with the establishment of the King Center in Atlanta, a fountain of knowledge that flows freely for all who wish to know more about Mr. King and his philosophy of nonviolence and equality.

Given her bottomless strength, there are so many positive attributes that one can take from the life of Ms. King. The attributes that resonated with me the most were her willingness to stand beside and behind her husband and her marriage to the mission.

In the wake of ultra-feminine ideals and unprecedented independence among women, "standing behind your man" is becoming less popular. Women today often want to stand in front of their men or stand alone. 

But Ms. King set the standard for wives supporting their husbands. She stood behind her man because he was the head of the household, but she also stood beside her man because she was his equal. She understood that people were watching her just as they were watching him, and she submitted to his suggestions on how she should carry out that which was asked of her. 

But because she stood beside her man as well, she marched with him on the frontlines for equality. She spoke at rallies and sang at marches and gave to the cause that had taken away so much. 

Even more significant than her marriage to Mr. King was her marriage to the mission. Because she was united with the mission, she carried the torch when her husband could not, she spoke for those who could not speak for themselves, she marched for those who could march no longer and she paved the way for countless people not to be shackled by race, gender or class. 

My advice to all people is for each of us to find a mission that we can be married to for the rest of our lives. The only way to live a life with meaning is to live one with a mission. Because Ms. King did just that, we will remember her not only by Mr. King's legacy, but also one she carved out for herself.

Vaughn, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at kalaiah_annette@yahoo.com.