JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the first time, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens will honor the life and legacy of Coretta Scott King along with her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King to celebrate MLK Day.
Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, CEO of the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, said they both lived extraordinary and devoted lives.
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“She was a leader, an activist. She was very much committed to non-violent, social change, and social justice. She worked right alongside him,” Brownlee said.
Mrs. King continued that work well after her husband was assassinated, including helping establish the The King Center. She also traveled to fight for racial and economic justice and women’s and children’s rights, until she died in 2006.
“[We should remember Coretta] for being a champion for equity,” Brownlee said. “A champion for justice, she was an extraordinary leader, thinker, mother, who continued to champion their legacy long after he died.”
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The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is typically closed every Monday of the year, except this Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It will open at 11 a.m. for a day full of free events.
There will be screenings of the “I Have A Dream” speech and “Dear Coretta”, a scavenger hunt celebrating African American artists, a Prayer for Peace, and a live painting activity.
There will also be a special performance by the Ritz Chamber Players. They are classical musicians who pitched the idea of paying homage to Coretta Scott King.
She was a respected musician who had collegiate music degrees in singing and violin. Terrance Patterson, the artistic director for the Ritz Chamber Players, said music played a huge role in the work of the Kings’ movement.
“For a long time in the beginning, she would do what was called ‘freedom concerts’ to raise money to do their work throughout the country, so they could travel and everything,” Patterson said.
Showing respect for another historic icon, those at the museum said people need to continue highlighting.