A week after the death of the wife of an American icon, students and faculty gathered to pay tribute to the legacy of Coretta Scott King.
Silhouetted by flickering flames fighting against winds that accented one of the coldest nights of the year, the faces of those in attendance were solemn as a slide show on the Witherspoon wall similarly outlined the profile of arguably the most influential woman in the post-segregation United States.
“We honor the mother and the first lady of the Civil Rights’ movement,” Lock Whiteside, a senior in political science and president of N.C. State’s chapter of the NAACP, said. “This was a great loss to our community.”
Whiteside challenged attendees to embody the spirit and passion that defined King’s life, as the wife and champion of her murdered husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“With the passing of Mrs. King and with the passing of Rosa Parks, it is clear that leadership has now been passed on to our generation,” Whiteside said.
Last night’s candlelight vigil, co-sponsored by the University chapter of the NAACP and the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, touched on the highlights of King’s life, including her fights for gun control, social justice and peace.
Many of King’s accomplishments were overshadowed by her immortalized husband, but students still recognize her own contributions.
“Her work speaks for itself,” Matt Walton, a sophomore in technology education, said following the ceremony. “[King’s] desire to see education and other social issues advanced is significant.”
Walton said the group that gathered Monday night was representative of the effect King’s work had on people across the country.
“I think anytime you have a leader of her magnitude, it affects everyone when a person like her dies,” Walton said. “It was obvious from the crowd tonight that there was a big impact on a large group on campus.”
King’s personal connection to the University stems from membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Chapter president Mariah Thorpe said King’s influence is evident through the sorority’s actions.
“One of the biggest things [King] contributed and pushed for was presence in the community and political involvement,” Thorpe, a senior in English education, said. “We volunteer at community centers and last year we helped with Vernon Malone’s campaign.”
Thorpe said the sisterhood and service within Alpha Kappa Alpha were tributes to the late philanthropist and activist.
“It’s more than talking about it. You have to get out there and do it. [King] definitely brought it to the forefront.”
Whiteside said students should remember that despite the work of Coretta Scott King and her husband, social injustice was still a threat to their livelihoods.
“There are challenges that our generation will face that our parents and grandparents would never have thought of,” Whiteside said.
“We have work to do and it starts here, tonight.”
