American Jewish Congress Mourns the Passing of a Giant of the Civil Rights Movement

NEW YORK , Jan. 31 /U.S. Newswire/ — Coretta Scott King’s death last night at the age of 78 marks the passing of one of the last remaining giants of the civil rights movement.

Working side-by-side with her husband Martin Luther King, Jr., she continued after his assassination in 1968 to devote her life to the pursuit of racial equality and the fair treatment of the poor and disadvantaged.

“Coretta Scott King personified the fight against poverty and injustice. A strong and courageous woman, she tirelessly proclaimed the message of peace and decency both in the United States and abroad,” said Paul S. Miller, president of AJCongress. “We at AJCongress worked along with Reverend and Mrs. King, especially during their struggle in the 1960′s to end segregation.”

“Whether it was in fighting apartheid in South Africa, or creating the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, or making the world aware of AIDS, she served as a model of strength and persistence in her commitment to her ideals,” Executive Director Neil B. Goldstein added. “She will be greatly missed.”

Clarence B. Jones, former advisor, counsel and speech writer to Martin Luther King, Jr. during the crucial years of the civil rights movement and upcoming AJCongress Isaiah Award Recipient on March 1, 2006, said, “She was also a source of invaluable advice and support to Dr. King’s leadership of the Civil Rights Movement.”

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The American Jewish Congress is a membership association of Jewish Americans, organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad, through public policy advocacy, in the courts, Congress, the executive branch and state and local governments. It also works overseas with others who are similarly engaged.

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