Newswise — Coretta Scott King was among the last of her generation of U.S. civil rights activists, and her death this week marks the end of an era for the movement, says Dr. Edward "Ted" Frantz, assistant professor of history at the University of Indianapolis. Mrs. King's dignity, grace and dedication have helped solidify the advances led by her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "In a very real sense, she was responsible for keeping his memory and his image alive," says Frantz, a specialist in African-American history and the civil rights movement. "Of that visible, public branch of the movement, her passing so soon after Rosa Parks would seem to indicate symbolically that a huge chapter in history is closing." Ironically, though Coretta was an educated person with her own passion for social justice before she married Martin, traditional gender roles and the culture of the Southern church forced her to take a back seat on the issues as he became an international figure. "Her role was that of the Baptist minister's wife," Frantz said. "Her work didn't really take off until her husband died."
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