Celebrating the Life of Coretta Scott King
Being close to or associated with a legend can means that a
person's identity gets lost or is seen as part of the supporting
cast for someone else's life. Coretta Scott King did not seek the
limelight, especially after her famous husband, Reverend.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated. She is a
great American in her own right -- living proof that behind
every great man there are great women. An intelligent,
thoughtful person, she was a powerful force behind Dr. King and the
Civil Rights Movement.
Born a farm girl in Alabama (1927), she knew the pains and
challenges of segregation. While white students in this
community were provided bus rides to nearby schools, she and her 2
siblings were forced to walk five miles a day and attended a
one-room school. Her mother, Bernice (McMurray) Scott, gave
Coretta the gift of music. In high school, she studied trumpet
and piano.
She left her humble roots and came to Yellow Springs, Ohio, to
attend Antioch College in 1945. She was already a civil rights
pioneer -- she was one of only 6 African American students there at
the time. She aspired to be a teacher and musician.
Racism and discrimination presented themselves as formidable barriers.
Acting with the integrity and determination she would show all her
life, she did not let these obstacles stop her.
When she reached the student teaching part of her college experience, the local
schools would not accept an African American teacher. She was
unable to get help from the college, even having an appeal turned
down by the college's president. She was forced to do her
complete her student teaching at the Antioch Demonstration School.
Coretta was a civil rights leader all her life. At Antioch,
she joined the local chapter of the NAACP, and the school's Race
Relations and Civil Liberties Committees. She loved classical
music. Years later, she still talked about a high school music
teacher that profoundly influenced here, Miss Olive J.
Williams. Coretta earned a B.A. in music
and education and was awarded a scholarship to study concert singing
and the violin at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
It was here she met Martin Luther King.
Speaking about that period of her life, Coretta said:
"I
always believed that there was a purpose for my life, and that I had
to seek that purpose, and that if I discovered that purpose, then I
believed that I would be successful in what I was doing. And I
thought I had found that purpose when I decided that music was going
to be my career -- concert singing. I was going to be trained as a
concert singer at the New England Conservatory of Music. I studied
voice the first year, and after I met Martin and prayed about
whether or not I should open myself to that relationship, I had a
dream, and in that dream, I was made to feel that I should allow
myself to be open and stop fighting the relationship. And that's
what I did, and of course the rest is history."
She chose to take on the role of a supportive wife after her
marriage to Dr. King, though she never abandoned her conviction and
activism for civil rights. She was a powerful force in Dr.
King's life and a partner in his work. She kept up on her
music, often giving concerts at marches and rallies. She
traveled and marched alongside her husband. When Dr. King was
unable to give speeches, she would speak.
In 1955, she had the first of the couple's 3 children, Yolanda (Yoki),
born 2 weeks before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As the
Kings became leaders for the cause, their life became more
dangerous. The south was a violent place, full of racial
discrimination and hatred. One night, January 30, 1956, while
Dr. King was out speaking at a church; the King residence in
Montgomery, Alabama, was bombed
while Coretta and baby Yolanda were home.
She learned to be careful
and look out for the safety of her family and her husband.
Perhaps this is one reason why she tended to stay out of the
public's eye as her husband increasingly became a national leader of
the Civil Rights Movement. In 1957, the Kings had a son, Martin Luther King III.
In the early sixties, living in Atlanta, Georgia, the Coretta and
Dr. King had two more children, Dexter Scott King (19610 and Bernice Albertine King
(1963).
A deeply spiritual person, she believed that war was wrong, and
spoke out against the Vietnam War 2 years before her husband, addressing a 1965 anti-war rally at Madison Square Garden in New York
City. She also worked with international peace and justice organizations.
Her world was shattered on April 4, 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
Never one to let obstacles get the best of her, Coretta accepted the
challenge of continuing her husband's work. She build The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a living memorial to her husband's life and dream.
Coretta Scott King published the first volume of her autobiography, My Life with Martin Luther King Jr.,
in 1969. True to Dr. King's legacy, as progress was made
in the arena of civil rights, she turned to the cause of economic justice.
In 1974 she formed and co-chaired the Full Employment Action Council, a broad coalition of over 100 religious, labor, business, civil and women's rights organizations dedicated to a national policy of full employment and equal economic
opportunity.
After the tragic death of her husband, she attending a annual commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to mark her husband's birth
each January 15. Largely because of her perservence and
effort, in 1986 a national holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King
was established each January. When President Ronald Reagan signed
the legislation establishing Martin Luther King Day, she was a guest
of honor.
She supported a number of important causes., joining the boards of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the National Organization for
Women. She was involved with numerous international human rights campaigns.
In the 1980's she joined the struggle against Apartheid, meeting
with Winnie Mandela while her husband Nelson Mandela was being held
as a political prisoner. She also spoke out against capital punishment,
the 2003 invasion of Iraq, advocated for women's rights, lesbian and gay rights and AIDS/HIV prevention.
An intellectual, scholarly woman; Coretta Scott King was awarded approximately 60 honorary degrees,
authored or edited several books, and became the namesake of the American Library Association’s Coretta Scott King Award,
which honors African-American writers and illustrators for outstanding and inspirational educational contributions in children's literature.
It is a mistake to think of Coretta Scott King as simply the wife
of Dr. Martin Luther King. She was his soul mate and an equal
collaborator in his legacy. When Dr. King's life was violently
struck short, she continued to carry the legacy,. We all have
roles we choose or are thrust in.
Coretta Scott King said it best when, speaking about
herself, she stated:
"I am often identified as the widow of
Martin Luther King Jr. Sometimes, I am also identified as a civil
rights leader or a human rights activist. While these designations
are factually correct, I would also like to be thought of as a
complex, three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood human being with a rich
storehouse of experiences, much like everyone else, yet unique in my
own way ... much like everyone else."
Free at last, free at last. Thank you Coretta Scott and Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Bill Breitsprecher
2006, Breitlinks
All Rights Reserved
Some Key Events in the life of Coretta Scott
King
-
April 27, 1927. Coretta Scott born in Perry County,
Alabama
-
1943. Coretta's sister Edythe
became the first black student to enroll at Antioch College in
Yellow Springs, Ohio.
-
1947. Becomes the first African
American student to study education at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She
earns a bachelor's in music and education, then studies concert singing at Boston's New England Conservatory of
Music
-
1948. Coretta holds her concert
debut in 1948 in Springfield, Ohio, performing as a soloist with
the Second Baptist Church
-
June 18, 1953. Marries the
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in Marion, Alabama
-
November 17, 1955. Yolanda Denise is born in Montgomery,
Alabama.
-
January 30, 1956. A bomb is thrown onto the Kings' Montgomery
home, no one is injured. Coretta King is in the house with baby
Yolanda
-
October 23, 1957. Martin Luther King III is born in
Montgomery
-
September 1958. Coretta flys to New
York after Dr. King was stabbed by a mentally ill woman while
signing copies of his new book about the bus boycott, Stride
Toward Freedom
-
February 1959. Dr. King and Corett
visits India and study Gandhi's techniques of nonviolence as guests of Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru
-
1960. Dr. King is arrested at a
sit-in in Atlanta; Coretta, six months pregnant, is disconsolate
that King was being sent to a state prison. Senator
John F. Kennedy, then running for president, calls to reassure
her
-
January 24, 1960. King family moves from Montgomery to
Atlanta; King becomes co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church with his
father
-
January 30, 1961. Dexter Scott King is born in
Atlanta
-
1962. Coretta King's interest in
disarmament takes her to Geneva, Switzerland; she serves as a
Women's Strike for Peace delegate to the seventeen-nation
Disarmament Conference
-
March 28, 1963. Bernice Albertine King is born in
Atlanta
-
August 28, 1963. At the March on Washington, King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln
Memorial
-
December 10, 1964. King receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo,
Norway
-
April 4, 1968. King is assassinated in Memphis,
Tennessee
-
1968. Becomes first woman to
address Harvard Commencement, Class Day. Dr. King had
accepted the invitation before he was assassinated in April.
Coretta spoke in his place.
-
June 26, 1968. Coretta King founds the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center in
Atlanta
-
1969. Coretta published
autobiography, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr.
-
1969. Coretta Scott King Award is
established to honor inspirational and educational
contributions by African American authors
-
1974. Coretta forms a coalition of
over 100 religious, labor, business, civil and women's rights
organizations dedicated to a national policy of full employment
and equal economic opportunity' she Co-Chairs the Full
Employment Action Council
-
1979. A separate award for
illustrator is added to the Coretta Scott King Award.
-
March 27, 1979. Testifies for the first time before joint hearings of Congress,
advocating for a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
-
1983. Coretta leads an effort that
brings more than a half-million demonstrators to Washington, D.C., to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream"
speech
-
November 2, 1983. President Reagan signs
bill creating a national holiday on the the third Monday of January
to honor Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reagan
actually opposes the holiday, making claims about the fiscal
cost
-
1985. Coretta and three of her
children are arrested at the South African embassy in
Washington, DC, protesting against apartheid
-
1985. Coretta asks Stanford professor Clayborne Carson to direct the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Papers Project, initiated in 1984 by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta.
The Project became a cooperative venture of Stanford University, the King Center, and the King Estate.
-
1986. Coretta ravels to South
Africa and met with Winnie Mandela; on returning to the United
States, she personally urged President Ronald Reagan to approve
sanctions against South Africa
-
January 20, 1986. First national celebration of the King holiday
-
1987. Coretta she helps lead a
national Mobilization Against Fear and Intimidation in Forsyth
County
-
1988. Coretta re-convened the
Coalition of Conscience for the 25th anniversary of the March on
Washington; in preparation for the Reagan-Gorbachev talks, in
1988 she served as head of the U.S. delegation of Women for a
Meaningful Summit in Athens, Greece
-
1990. Coretta is co-convener of the
Soviet-American Women's Summit in Washington, DC
-
January 14. Coretta receives an
ovation from 1,500 at a dinner celebrating her husband's
birthday
-
January 16, 2006. Celebrates King Day ceremonies,
watching on television, the 20th anniversary of the federal
holiday
Books by Coretta Scott King
Black Americans of Achievement Series:
Aretha Franklin, by Jim MacAvoy, Jim McAvoy, Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publications, 2001
Booker T. Washington, by Alan Schroeder, Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publishers, 1992
Coretta Scott King, by Lisa Renee Rhodes, Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publications,
1988
Diana Ross: Entertainer, by John Wyeth, Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publishers, January 1996
George Washington Carver, by Gene Adair, Edited by Nathan I. Huggins, Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publishers, 1991
Janet Jackson: Singer, by Cindy Dyson, Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publishers, 2000
Langston Hughes: Poet, by Jack Rummel, Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publishers, 1988
Madam C.J. Walker, by Alelia Perry Bundles, Nathan I. Huggins (Editor),
Coretta Scott King (Introduction). Chelsea House Publications,
1991
Malcolm X: Militant Black Leader, by Jack Rummel, Coretta Scott King (Intorduction). Chelsea House Publishers, 1988
Miles Davis: Musician, by Ron Frankel, Coretta Scott King
(Introduction), Chelsea House Publishers, 1995
Morgan Freeman: Actor, by Gina De Angelis, Coretta Scott King
(Introduction), Chelsea House Publishers, 1999
Profiles of Great Black Americans: Book of Firsts: Leaders of America,
by Richard Rennert, Editor, Coretta Scott King. Chelsea House Publishers,
1994
Rosa Parks, Edited by Nathan Irvin Huggins, by Mary Hull,
Coretta Scott King (Introduction).
Chelsea House Publishers, 1994
Satchel Paige: Baseball Great, by David Shirley, Nathan I. Huggins (Editor), Coretta Scott King (Introduction). 1993
Thurgood Marshall: Supreme Court Justice,
by Lisa Aldred, Nathan I. Huggins(Editor), Coretta Scott
King (Introduction) Chelsea House Publications, 1991
Fire in My Soul: The Life of Eleanor Holmes Norton by Joan Steinau Lester, Foreword by Coretta Scott King. Atria Books, 2004
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Scholastic, 1997
The Martin Luther King, Jr. companion: quotations from the speeches, essays, and books of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Selected by Coretta Scott King; introduction by Dexter Scott King. King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968. St. Martin's Press, 1993
My life with Martin Luther King, Jr. King, Coretta Scott, 1927- Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969
My life with Martin Luther King, Jr. King, Coretta Scott, 1927- Hodder and Stoughton, 1970
Open My Eyes, Open My Soul: Celebrating Our Common Humanity, Coretta Scott King. McGraw-Hill, 2003
Salute to historic Black achievers, Introductory essay by Coretta Scott King. Chelsea House, 1992
Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Celebration of Black Prayer,
Forward by Coretta Scott King. Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture, 2003
Towards racial equality and racial harmony, by Coretta Scott King, Wilfred
Wood. King Foundation, 1969
The words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Selected by Coretta Scott King. King, Newmarket Press, 1987
Established 1969, the Coretta Scott King Book Award commemorates
the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
honors Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination in
continuing to work for peace, social justice. It is presented
annually to an African American author and an African American
illustrator for an outstandingly inspirational and educational
contribution published during the previous year.
It founded with the New Jersey Library association and is now
overseen and administered in collaboration with the American Library
Association. In 1979, a separate award for illustrator was
added to the ceremony. For more about this prestigious award,
please see the Coretta
Scott King Awards page at the ALA Website.
2005 Winner
- Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni
Morrison
2005 Illustrated Winner
- Ellington Was Not a Street illustrated by Kadir A. Nelson, written by Ntozake Shange
2005 Honor Books
- The Legend of Buddy Bush by Sheila P. Moses
- Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories about Girls and Boys in their Lives by Sharon G. Flake
- Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requim by Marilyn Nelson
2005 Illustrated Honor Books
- God Bless the Child illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, words by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr.
- The People Could Fly: The Picture Book illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, written by Virginia Hamilton
2004 Winner
- The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
2004 Illustrated Winner
- Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan
2004 Honor Book
- Days of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States by Patricia C. and Frederick L. McKissack
2003 Winner
- Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
2003 Illustrated Winner
- Talkin' About Bessie: the Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes
2003 Honor
- Books The Red Rose Box by Brenda Woods
- Talkin' About Bessie: the Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman
by Nikki Grimes
2003 Illustrated Honor Books:
- Rap a Tap: Here's Bojangles - Think of That illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
- Visiting Langston illustrated by Bryan Collier
2002 Winner
- The Land by Mildred Taylor
2002 Illustrated Winner
- Goin' Someplace Special illustrated by Jerry Pinkney; text by Patricia McKissack
2002 Honor Books
- Money-Hungry by Sharon G. Flake
- Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson
2002 Illustrated Honor Book
- Martin's Big Words illustrated by Bryan Collier, text by Doreen Rappoport
2001 Winner
- Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
2001 Illustrated Winner
2001 Honor
- Books Let It Shine! Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis
- Pinkney, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
2001 Illustrated Honor Books
- Freedom River by Bryan Collier
- Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth illustrated by R. Gregory Christie; text by Anne Rockwell
- Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys illustrated by E.B. Lewis; text by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
2000 Winner
- Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
2000 Illustrated Winner
- In the Time of the Drums illustrated by Brian Pinkney, text by Kim L. Siegelson
2000 Honor Books
- Francie by Karen English
- Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers by Patricia C. and Frederick L. McKissack
- Monster by Walter Dean Myers
2000 Illustrated Honor Books
- My Rows and Piles of Coins illustrated by E.B. Lewis, text by Tololwa M. Mollel
- Black Cat by Christopher Myers
1999 Winner
1999 Illustrated Winner
- I see the rhythm illustrated by Michele Wood, text by Toyomi Igus
1999 Honor Book
- Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes
- Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New York's African Burial Ground
by Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan
- The Other Side: Shorter Poems by Angela Johnson
1999 Illustrated Honor Books
- I Have Heard of a Land illustrated by Floyd Cooper, text by Joyce Carol Thomas
- The Bat Boy and His Violin illustrated by E.B. Lewis, text by Gavin Curtis
- Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra illustrated by Brian Pinkney, text by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1998 Winner
- Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper
1998 Illustrated Winner
- In Daddy's Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, text by Alan Schroeder
- 1998 Honor Books Bayard Rustin: Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movement
by James Haskins
- I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: the Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl
by Joyce Hansen
1998 Illustrated Honor Books
- ABC of African Poetry by Ashley Bryan
- Harlem illustrated by Christopher Myers, text by Walter Dean Myers
- Hunterman and the Crocodile by Baba Wague Diakite
1997 Winner
- Slam by Walter Dean Myers
1997 Illustrated Winner
- Minty: A story of Young Harriet Tubman illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, text by Alan Schroeder
1997 Honor Books
- Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts by Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack
1997 Illustrated Honor Books
- Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children illustrated by Gregorie Christie, edited by Davida Adedjouma
- Running the Road to ABC illustrated by Reynold Ruffins, text by Denize Lauture
- Neeny Coming, Neeny Going illustrated by Synthia Saint James, text by Karen English
1996 Winner
- Her Stories by Virginia Hamilton
1996 Illustrated Winner
- The Middle Passage: White Ships Black Cargo by Tom Feelings
1996 Honor Books
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
- Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia
- From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
1996 Illustrated Honor Books
- Her Stories illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, text by Virginia Hamilton
1995 Winner
- Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters by Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack
1995 Illustrated Winner
- The Creation illustrated by James Ransome, text by James Weldon Johnson
1995 Honor Books
- The Captive by Joyce Hansen
- I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson
- Black Diamond: Story of the Negro Baseball League by Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack
1995 Illustrated Honor Books
- The Singing Man illustrated by Terea Shaffer, text by Angela Shelf Medearis
- Meet Danitra Brown illustrated by Floyd Cooper, text by Nikki Grimes
1994 Winner
- Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson
1994 Illustrated Winner
- Soul Looks Back in Wonder illustrated by Tom Feelings, text ed. by Phyllis Fogelman
1994 Honor Books
- Brown Honey in Broom Wheat Tea by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
- Malcom X: By Any Means Necessary by Walter Dean Myers
1993 Illustrated Honor Books
- Brown Honey in Broom Wheat Tea by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
- Uncle Jed's Barbershop illustrated by James Ransome, text by Margaree King Mitchell
1993 Winner Dark Thirty
- Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia A. McKissack
1993 Illustrated Winner
- The Origin of Life on Earth: an African Creation Myth illustrated
by Kathleen Atkins Wilson, retold by David A. Anderson
1993 Honor Books
- Mississippi Challenge by Mildred Pitts Walter
- Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? by Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack
- Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers
- Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
1993 Illustrated Honor Books
- Little Eight John, illustrated by Wil Clay, text by Jan Wahl
- Sukey and the Mermaid illustrated by Brian Pinkney, text by Robert San Souci
- Working Cotton illustrated by Carole Byard, text by Sherley Anne Williams
1992 Winner
- Now is Your Time: the African American Struggle for Freedom
by Walter Dean Myers
1992 Honor Book
- Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
1992 Illustrated Honor Books
- All Night, All Day: A Child's First Book of African American
Spirituals, illustrated and selected by Ashley Bryan
- Night on Neighborhood Street, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist, text by Eloise Greenfield
1991 Winner
- The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor
1991 Illustrated Winner
- Aida, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, text by Leontyne Price
1991 Honor Book
- Black Dance in America by James Haskins
- When I Am Old With You by Angela Johnson
1990 Winner
- A Long Hard Journey: the Story of the Pullman Porter by Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack
- Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
1990 Illustrated Winner
- Nathaniel Talking illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist, text by Eloise Greenfield
1990 Honor Books
- Nathaniel Talking by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
- The Bells of Christmas by Virginia Hamilton
- Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Freedom Movement by Lillie Patterson
- Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
1990 Illustrated Honor Books
- The Talking Eggs illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, text by Robert San Souci
1989 Winner
- Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
1989 Illustrated Winner
- Mirandy and Brother Wind, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, text by Patricia McKissack
1989 Honor Books
- A Thief in the Village and Other Stories by James Berry
- Anthony Burns: the Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave by Virginia Hamilton
1989 Illustrated Honor Books
- Under the Sunday Tree, illustrated by Amos Ferguson, text by Eloisie Greenfield
- Storm in the Night illustrated by Pat Cummings, text by Mary Stolz
1988 Winner
- The Friendship by Mildred L. Taylor
1988 Illustrated Winner
- Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: an African Tale by John Steptoe
1988 Honor Books
- An Enchanted Hair Tale by Alexis De Veaux
- The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit by Julius Lester
1988 Illustrated Honor Books
- What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals illustrated by Ashley Bryan, selected by John Langstaff
1987 Winner
- Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walter
1987 Illustrated Winner
- Half a Moon and One Whole Star illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, text by Crescent Dragonwagon
1987 Honor Books
- Lion and the Ostrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales by Ashley Bryan
- Which Way Freedom by Joyce Hansen
1987 Illustrated Honor Books
- Lion and the Osrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales by Ashley Bryan
- C.L.O.U.D.S. by Pat Cummings
1986 Winner
- The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
1985 Illustrated Winner
- The Patchwork Quilt illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, text by Valerie Flournoy
1986 Honor Books
- Junius Over Far by Virginia Hamilton
- Trouble's Child by Mildred Pitts Walter
1986 Illustrated Honor Books
- The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, text by Virginia Hamilton
1985 Winner
- Motown and Didi by Walter Dean Myers
1985 Illustrated Winner
1985 Honor Books
- Circle of God by Candy Dawson
- A Little Love by Virginia Hamilton
1984 Winner
- Everett Anderson's Good-bye by Lucille Clifton
1984 Special Citation
- The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, compiler
1984 Illustrated Winner
- My Mama Needs Me illustrated by Pat Cummings, text by Mildren Pitts Walter
1984 Honor Books
- The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl by Virginia Hamilton
- Lena Horne by James Haskins
- Bright Shadow by Joyce Carol Thomas
- Because We Are by Mildred Pitts Walter
1983 Winner
- Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton
1983 Illustrated Winner
- Black Child by Peter Mugabane
1983 Honor Books
- This Strange New Feeling by Julius Lester
1983 Illustrated Honor Books
- All the Colors of the Race illustrated by John Steptoe, text
by Arnold Adoff
- I'm Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals illustrated by Ashley Bryan
- Just Us Women illustrated by Pat Cummings, text by Jeanette Caines
- 1982 Winner Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor
1982 Illustrated Winner
- Mother Crocodile; an Uncle Amadou Tale from Sengal illustrated by John Steptoe; text by Rosa Guy
1982 Honor Books
- Rainbow Jordan by Alice Childress
- Lou in the Limelight by Kristin Hunter
- Mary: An Autobiography by Mary E. Mebane
1982 Illustrated Honor Book
- Daydreamers illustrated by Tom Feelings, text by Eloise Greenfield
1981 Winner
- The Life of Sidney Poitier
1981 Illustrated Winner
- Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum by Ashley De Veaux
1981 Honor Books
- Don't Explain: A Song of Billie Holiday by Alexis de Veaux
1982 Illustrated Honor Books
- Grandma's Joy illustrated by Carole Byard, text by Eloise Greenfield
- Count on Your Fingers African Style, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, text by Claudia Zaslavsky
1980 Winner
- The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers
1980 Illustrated Winner
- Cornrows illustrated by Carole Byard, text by Camille Yarborough
1980 Honor Books
- Movin' Up by Berry Gordy
- Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir by Eloise Greenfield and Lessie Jones Little
- Andrew Young: Young Man With a Mission by James Haskins
- James Van Der Zee: The Picture Takin' Man by James Haskins
- Let the Lion Eat Straw by Ellease Southerland
1979 Winner
- Escape to Freedom by Ossie Davis
1979 Illustrated Winner
- Something on My Mind, illustrated by Tom Feelings; text by Nikki Grimes
1979 Honor Books
- Benjamin Banneker by Lilly Patterson
- I Have a Sister, My Sister is Deaf by Jeanne W. Peterson
- Justice and Her Brothers by Virginia Hamilton
- Skates of Uncle Richard by Carol Fenner
1978 Winner
- Africa Dream by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Carole Bayard
1978 Illustrated Winner
- Africa Dream, illustrated by Carole Bayard, text by Eloise Greenfield
1978 Honor Books
- The Days When the Animals Talked: Black Folk Tales and How They Came to Be by William J. Faulkner
- Marvin and Tige by Frankcina Glass
- Mary McCleod Bethune by Eloise Greenfield
- Barbara Jordan by James Haskins
- Coretta Scott King by Lillie Patterson
- Portia: The Life of Portia Washington Pittman, the Daughter of Booker T. Washington
by Ruth Ann Stewart
1977 Winner
- The Story of Stevie Wonder by James Haskins
1977 Illustrated Winner
1977 Honor Books
1976 Winner
- Duey's Tale by Pearl Bailey
1976 Illustrated Winner
1976 Honor Books
1975 Winner
- The Legend of Africana by Dorothy Robinson
1975 Illustrated Winner
1975 Honor Book
1974 Winner
- Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis, illustrated by George Ford
1974 Illustrated Winner
- Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis, illustrated by George Ford
1974 Honor Book
Note: Prior to 1974, the CSK Award was only given to authors.
1973 Winner
- I Never Had it Made: the Autobiography of Jackie Robinson, as told to Alfred Duckett
1972 Winner
- 17 Black Artists by Elton C. Fax
1971 Winner
- Black Troubador: Langston Hughes by Charlemae Rollins
1970 Winner
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Man of Peace by Lillie Patterson
Online Resources About
Coretta Scott King
Biography:
Coretta Scott King
Civil
Rights Icon: Coretta Scott King (transcript and audio
file)
Coretta
Scott King: A Force for Civil Rights
Coretta
Scott King Awards (ALA)
Coretta
Scott King Human Rights Activist and Leader
Coretta
Scott King Leaves Own Legacy
Coretta Scott King:
The role of prayer in the civil rights movement
King Chronologies
King
Encyclopedia
The
Meaning of the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday,
by Coretta Scott King
NPR:
A Musical Tribute to Coretta Scott King (audio)
NPR:
Coretta Scott King, Deliving Her Husband's Message (audio)
NPR
: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King (audio)
Readings
from "My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr." by Coretta
Scott King (audio)
Remarks
by Coretta Scott King, Press Conference on the Introduction of
the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1994
Remembering
Coretta Scott King: First lady of civil rights
TIME First Lady of Civil Rights Photo Essay
Unsung
Civil Rights Hero: Coretta Scott King
Women's
History: Coretta Scott King
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