Coretta Scott King was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. She earned the nickname the “First Lady of the civil rights movement.” King spent her life fighting for equality for Black Americans. She believed that segregation was a cancer that needed to be cured.
King had experienced inequality and segregation throughout her life. As a child she walked five miles to school each day while the White children were driven on a bus to a closer school.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King became the leaders of the civil rights movement. King supported her husband’s goals. They organized nonviolent events to fight against segregation. However, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. King used her grief as a tool to keep reaching their goals. She worked the rest of her life to help others be treated equally in the U.S. King even helped to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday.
When Coretta Scott King died on January 30, 2006, five living U.S. presidents attended her funeral service. King is remembered as a passionate and courageous woman who did her best to create a more loving and peaceful world.
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How does the phrase “a cancer that needed to be cured” help readers understand the text?
It shows that segregation was a physical sickness.
It provides an example of the kinds of illnesses people had at that time in history.
It explains how Coretta Scott King was behind many of the advancements in cancer research.
It shows you how seriously Coretta Scott King believed in the need to end segregation.