Queen Bey said it best: “I can do for you what Martin did for the people – ran by the men but the women keep the tempo. It’s very seldom that we’re blessed to find our equal, still play my part and let you take the lead role…” For those that didn’t follow, the “Martin” that she speaks of is none other than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and she is describing the roles that the wives of civil rights leaders played during the African American quest for equality in the 1960s.
As a wife, I’ve learned the importance of playing my part. That means that sometimes, I have to let my husband take the lead while I support him from behind the scenes. In other cases, I have to take on more of a leadership role to ensure that things run smoothly. They say behind every great man is a strong woman who has his back, and that was definitely the case during the civil rights movement. In honor of Black History Month, I’m excited to pay homage to some of the iconic wives who played a major role in the civil rights movement and showed what it really means to be more than a wifey.
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The Iconic Wives of the Civil Rights Movement
Amy Jacques Garvey
Born in Jamaica, Amy Jacques Garvey immigrated to America in 1917 and became the second wife to Marcus Garvey in 1922. Shortly after their marriage, she began editing volume 1 of “The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey,” a compilation of her husband’s teachings and speeches. Throughout the years, she went on to edit and publish two more volumes of his work, as well as two volumes of his poetry to create what is now considered the best records available on the life of Marcus Garvey. In 1923 when her husband was convicted of bogus mail fraud charges, Amy Jacques Garvey assumed leadership of his organization, the United Negro Improvement Association, and when he was deported in 1927 following his release from prison, she returned to Jamaica with him. After Marcus Garvey’s death in 1940, Amy Jacques Garvey continued to work for the liberation of black people by continuing to publish her own books and pamphlets, such as “Black Power in America: The Power of the Human Spirit.”
Myrlie Evers-Williams
In 1963, Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist who worked to desegregate the University of Mississippi and obtain social justice and voting rights for African American people, was assassinated by a member of the White Citizen Council. His assassination inspired civil rights protests around the country, as well as works of art such as books, songs, and movies. Myrlie Evers-Williams, who had worked diligently with her husband to organize voter registration drives and desegregate schools and other public facilities, fought along with other civil rights leaders for more than three decades to seek justice for the murder of her husband. She also wrote “For Us, the Living,” a book that chronicles her husband’s life, as several other books and articles. Most recently, Myrlie Evers-Williams delivered the invocation at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Betty Shabaz
Also known as Betty X, Betty Shabaz was pregnant with twins when her husband, Malcolm X, was assassinated in 1965. After raising their 6 daughters alone, Shabaz completed her degree in education, got her master’s, and completed her Ph.D in higher education. Even after Malcolm X’s untimely death, Betty Shabaz solidified his legacy by delivering lectures on civil rights, continuing his work on social justice, and establishing the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabaz Memorial and Educational Center.
Coretta Scott King
Arguable the most widely known wife of the civil rights movement (and also a member of my sorority), Coretta Scott King stood by her husband until the very end, even braving attacks and receiving threats long after his untimely death in 1968. After Dr. King’s assassination, Coretta Scott King took on a leadership role in the movement for racial equality and became active in both the Women’s Movement and the LGBT Rights Movement. In 1968, she established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and, years later, played a major role in establishing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a national holiday.
What marital lessons do you take from the iconic wives of the civil rights movement?
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