Coretta Scott King

I was saddened today to hear of the loss of Coretta Scott King. She was anything but your typical spouse of a revolutionary. In many ways, her intelligence and vision contributed the impetus to Dr. King to have the strength to take the contemporaneously radical actions he did in the 1960s.

I was fortunate to meet Mrs. King twice. The first time was in 1995, in Chicago, where I performed at one of her famed "Freedom Concerts" with an ensemble from the Sherwood Conservatory, and then performed some solo works. I snuck away after playing for 10 minutes to try to meet her and have a conversation. I was successful. She told me that she had studied voice at the New England Conservatory (which I did not previously know), and that the 'visions contained within the highest of music can be a roadmap to understanding the correct moral actions to take." I never forgot that.

The second time was in 2004 at the Academy of Achievement International Achievement Summit, again in Chicago. We were in the Art Institute in Chicago and we were walking through the suits of armor. I overheard her comment to the famed Julie Andrews that it was unfortunate that throughout history people have been forced to protect themselves in such ways. I was taken aback by the coolness and collectedness of her thoughts, especially given what she had been through with Dr. King's assassination. Again I had a chance to talk with her. It turns out she heard me the night before, where I had played piano round-robin style with Andrew Park, Natasha Paremski, and Martin Kasik. I played the Carmen Variations of Horowitz. She reiterated almost the same quote from 1995. It was notable that she still believed in the power of music to guide our actions and clear our thoughts.

I can only hope that people remember the work she carried on after her husband's demise. It is a sad day when we are forced to "protect ourselves" instead of being able to promote the ideals of a just and open society that has educated members who fail to discriminate on the basis of superficial characteristics. Coretta Scott King was a living symbol of that message and will be missed.