Louisiana officials unveil historic marker in honor of Coretta Scott King

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Mayor LaToya Cantrell along and fellow officials, joined members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Planning Commission to unveil a historic marker of King’s late wife.

On Friday, Jan. 5, Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s legacy was commemorated with a marker that now sits on the neutral ground at the corner of South Claiborne and Jackson avenues.

The marker depicts the role she played in helping to make her husband’s birthday a national holiday.

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“On behalf of the city of New Orleans, let this unveiling of this dedication and this historic marker uplift us and give us the courage that we need in our time to stand and to push the legacy of Dr. King forward,” said Cantrell.

The marker notes New Orleans was one of the first major cities to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day starting in 1978.

It was eight years later that the holiday was observed as a national holiday.

Also in attendance was Congressman Troy Carter Sr., Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, and President of Omicron Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Brittany Reed, the sorority of which King was a member.

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