9781422277768

Although her husband’s sudden death thrust multiple

responsibilities onto her shoulders, Coretta Scott King’s first priority was consoling her children. Here she cradles her youngest child, five-year-old Bernice, during funeral services for Martin Luther King Jr.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND caucus —a meeting at which local members of a political party vote for candidates running for office or decide on policy. economic inequality —the unequal distribution of income and opportunity between different groups in society. presidential nomination —the selection by a political party of a candidate to represent the party in a U.S. presidential election. The selection is often done by delegates to the party’s national convention. WORDS TO UNDERSTAND complacent —to be pleased or satisfied with oneself, without being aware of possible danger. lynching —a form of murder that involves hanging the victim; it can be committed by a small group or an angry mob. During the the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, thousands of African Americans were lynched without a fair trial. widow —a woman whose husband has died, and who has not yet remarried.

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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