Coretta Scott King (1927–2006) was a leading Black American activist, author, and global advocate for civil and human rights. Born in Heiberger, Alabama, she studied music and education at Antioch College and the New England Conservatory before marrying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1953. Far more than the wife of a movement leader, Coretta Scott King was a strategist and organizer in her own right. She participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and later used her platform to speak internationally on peace, justice, and nonviolence.

After Dr. King’s assassination in 1968, she carried forward his legacy, founding the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. She also successfully campaigned to establish Dr. King’s birthday as a federal holiday. Expanding her advocacy, King spoke out against poverty, apartheid, while fighting for women’s rights and equality. Her life’s work helped shape a broader vision of justice grounded in dignity, peace, and human rights.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

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