Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Little-Known Love Story

Every year, in mid-January, the world pauses for a day to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to remember him as the leader of the Civil Right Movement and a symbol of justice and peace. However, only a few realize that the chief architect behind the MLK National Holiday was his wife, Coretta Scott King. During this class, Dr. Clayborne Carson takes us back in time to tell the intimate story of how these two remarkable individuals met, fell in love, and shared a lifelong commitment to activism and the betterment of the world.

This event is only open to Stanford Reunion Homecoming pass holders.

Dr. Clayborne Carson is the director of The World House Project and Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor of History, emeritus. Selected in 1985 by Coretta Scott King to edit and publish the papers of her late husband, Clayborne Carson has devoted most of his professional life to the study of Martin Luther King Jr. In 2005, he founded The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute to endow and expand the educational outreach of the King Papers Project. Since 2021, Carson has been the director of the World House Project at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford.