Wednesday, February 01, 2006

ON THE PASSING OF CORETTA SCOTT KING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, January 31, 2006, Representative Xavier Becerra (CA-31) submitted into the Congressional Record an extension of remarks honoring the life of the late Coretta Scott King:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay my respects to an American treasure: Mrs. Coretta Scott King. An admirable advocate of social justice and peace, Mrs. Scott King will be greatly missed by those who care about equal opportunity for all. Alongside her husband, the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., she was a successful leader and advocate for racial peace and fought for social change.

Following the death of her husband, she maintained his commitment to racial and economic justice. Her devotion to civil and human rights has no borders as she is recognized at home and abroad for remaining a catalyst for change.

Just as Cesar Chavez is remembered for his role in the struggle for human rights and dignity of migrant farm workers, Mrs. Scott King will be remembered for her accomplishments in the struggle for peace and justice, and for her steadfast belief that care and respect should be shown to others not because of the color of one"s skin, but because of "the content of their character."

Mr. Speaker, as a nation and with the world, we mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King, a civil rights icon in her own right whose accomplished life is laudable, whose care for the human condition is remarkable, and whose loss will be felt by countless millions all across this great country that she helped unite.