9781422277768

The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where King and his associates were staying on April 4, 1968. The red-and- white wreath on the balcony outside room 306 marks the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. Today, the motel is part of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Singer andhuman rights activist HarryBelafonte calledCoretta that night, wanting to be there for her and the children. Coretta gratefully accepted his offer. Bill Cosby and Robert Culp, then starring in TV’s breakthrough interracial show I Spy , also flew down, helping out by playing with Dexter and Marty. Of course, thousands of strangers were also out in force, showing their love and respect for Martin Luther King, Jr. The next day, Coretta and some friends flew to Memphis to bring home her husband’s body. A huge crowd was waiting at the airport when the plane carrying Coretta and her husband’s body landed back in Atlanta. Another huge crowd was assembled outside Hanley’s Funeral Home, where Dr. King was taken. Coretta asked

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C I V I L R I G H T S L E A D E R S : C O R E T TA S C O T T K I N G