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19 Women in the Movement Coretta Scott King did not come to the house during this period as much as i think she may have wanted to. Maybe Martin felt one parent on the firing line was enough. The possibility of his children being without both parents may have been uppermost in his thoughts. you must remember the civil rights movement was basically run by men, and often women’s input and presence did not seem needed. but how many times do women plant ideas and let the men think all of the ideas are theirs? That is the way a woman operates. We don’t care who gets the credit for an idea as long as what we want gets done. Remember, i am speaking of the role of women in society half a century ago. Today’s woman is very different. Coretta did come to the house by the side of the road during the turbulent days but not to stay for any period of time as was also the case with Juanita Abernathy . i have always had a lot of respect for Coretta Scott King. Whether she was involved then really does not matter; look at what she went through—she was totally involved, right from the start, being the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. Just think: Martin’s stabbing in new york. The bombing of their home in Montgomery. The many hate- 92 / Chapter 19 filled and obscene calls she had to endure in Montgomery and Atlanta .Thefbi’sperniciousassaultsonherhusbandandontheirfamily’s privacy, and throughout it all she maintained her dignity and cared for her family. Seeing her husband deeply depressed, exhausted, and physically ill had to take its toll on her. but when the time came, she took up the mantle and made a distinguished name for herself. She, too, was known all over the world for her contributions to humanity. Martin made a wise decision in picking a mate. even after Martin’s death, Coretta used the house by the side of the road for meetings and a luncheon. once she needed to meet attorney fred Gray of Tuskegee, and had a meeting with him eating at the same dining room table where her husband once sat. There were other times she came to the house, especially on her way home to see her parents, Mr. and Mrs. obie Scott in Marion, and when on speaking engagements in Selma. This house has always been open to friends, and that she was always to us. Juanita Abernathy also came to the house during those tense and busy months, just not as much as we would have liked her to. Again, this was a man-run operation. Juanita and Coretta were totally different in personality. Juanita was apowerfulforceinRalph’slifeandhisdecisionmaking.He would talk to her every night no matter where he was. The staff would say when Ralph and Juanita were on the phone, the president or Jesus could call and would not get through. Ralph and Juanita would be there for a while. We did not have call waiting and all of the other telephone options we have today. We had one line coming in and one line going out; if the phone was in use you just got a busy signal. Juanita Jones came from a well-known family in Uniontown, Alabama .Theyownedtheirownland,andatthattimelandownerswere considered “good livers.” She had known Ralph and his family years Women in the Movement / 93 before they fell in love and married. Juanita, like Ralph, had several sisters and brothers. Coming from big families, they both seemed to have the ability to deal with people from all walks of life. Juanita still has that warm glow and smile, and we have such good times when we visit. Juanita and i always had a wonderful relationship; i guess i understood some of her feelings and i always tried to be there for her and her children. i had the opportunity to attend the wedding of their youngest child, Kuami, in Atlanta. it was a special occasion for me, as all of our children are now grown and on their own. How proud we are. Juanitawasalwaysafraidthat Ralph wouldbehurtorkilled,alone or with Martin, leaving her to raise their four children alone. She also felt Ralph was not given his proper place in history. but he was surely loved in the house by the side of the road. i had known Ralph and Juanita a lot longer than i had known Martin. We went back...

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