Coretta Scott King Lies in Honor in Atlanta
February 4, 2006
ATLANTA — When Janann Ransom arrived at Georgia's Capitol, about 1,400 people had already lined up in a cold, gusty wind to pay tribute to civil rights leader Coretta Scott King. But Ransom was undeterred.
"She's worth it," Ransom said. "She stood in line for me, her and her husband, when I couldn't."
Thousands of mourners poured into Georgia Capitol Rotunda to pay tribute to the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the first woman and the first black person to lie in honor in a statehouse that was once a seat of segregation.
Capitol Police estimated 10,000 people in less than three hours had passed briskly within about 5 feet of the open casket in the marble Rotunda, where King lay in her pink suit. Gloria Mavins, 52, of Orangeburg, S.C., said she was deeply moved.
"I felt like I wanted to bow down right there and just thank her," Mavins said.
The bronze casket had been carried through the streets of Atlanta on a horse-drawn carriage before being ushered into the Capitol by an honor guard of the Georgia State Patrol. The crowd outside cheered and threw roses as the casket went by.
"It was beautiful," said Robert Washington, 40, just after the glass-walled carriage arrived at the Capitol steps.
Georgia's flag, which Mrs. King had helped change to remove the Confederate Cross, flew at half staff.
Gov. Sonny Perdue and his wife Mary escorted the casket into the statehouse, a sharp contrast to the official snub afforded Martin Luther King Jr. nearly four decades ago by segregationist Gov. Lester Maddox.
"Coretta Scott King was a gracious and courageous woman, an inspiration to millions and one of the most influential civil rights leaders of our time," Perdue said during a brief ceremony. "She was absolutely an anchor and support for her husband."
King's four children -- Yolanda, Dexter, Martin Luther King III and Bernice -- spent a few minutes at the open casket before the doors were thrown open to the public. Yolanda King stroked her mother's face, and she and her sister Bernice wiped away tears.
"While we claim her, she was their momma," Perdue said of the King children. "It's hard to give up your momma."
King, the "first lady of the civil rights movement," died Monday at the age of 78.
A soloist sang the hymn "Blessed Assurance" which echoed in the cavernous marble hall.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, the first black woman to lead the city, said she owed her career to King. "I would not be here without her," Franklin said.
The largely black crowd came pushing strollers, leaning on walkers and dressed in military camouflage. Some made the sign of the cross as they moved past the casket.
Raymond Dutrieuille, of Duluth, Ga., came with his wife, Nena, and 2-year-old son Raylin, "to experience part of history."
Some had traveled far. Chris Thomas, 50, came from New Haven, Conn., to see the procession. Connie Havis, 43, and her friend Caprice Wofford, 39, drove down from Chattanooga, Tenn. this morning.
"She looked beautiful," Havis said.
In 1968, then-Gov. Maddox ignored Martin Luther King Jr.'s death and refused to authorize a public tribute. He was outraged at the idea of state flags, then dominated by the Confederate Cross, flying at half-staff in tribute to a black man.
But immediately after Coretta Scott King died, the state flag was ordered lowered by Perdue.
Coretta Scott King died in Mexico at an alternative medicine clinic, where doctors said she was battling advanced ovarian cancer. She also had been recovering from a serious stroke and heart attack. In January, she made her first public appearance in a year on the eve of her late husband's birthday.
For most of Monday, King's casket will lie in Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her husband preached in the years before his death. Her funeral will be held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, where the Kings' youngest child, Bernice, is a minister.
Few details had been released about the funeral, including who will deliver the eulogy.
President Bush, who will attend the service with the first lady, is expected to make remarks during the service, according to the White House.
