In Celebration of the Life of Coretta Scott King
Global Ministries shares the following letter from our partner in Namibia in response to the Celebration of the Life of Coretta Scott King. Sandra Gourdet, Area Executive of the Global Ministries Africa Office shares, “This is a significant way that the churches in the United States can feel the presence and partnership with Africans who are connected to this struggle.
Global Ministries shares the following letter from our partner in Namibia in response to the Celebration of the Life of Coretta Scott King. Sandra Gourdet, Area Executive of the Global Ministries Africa Office shares, “This is a significant way that the churches in the United States can feel the presence and partnership with Africans who are connected to this struggle.” Global Ministries rejoices that the global church can share with each other our joys, sorrows, and prayers.
6 February 2006
This sad moment in U.S. history, marking the passing on of the great Mrs. Coretta Scott King, reminds me of the decade of the roaring 1960s.
In particular, I think of the eventful year, 1963. We all remember that year for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Dr Martin Luther King’s I have a Dream speech. In addition, some of us remember the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. In my own case, I arrived in the USA in 1963 as a young student. There are many more dots to tie together recounting the events of that dramatic decade. But that is for next time…
Mrs. Coretta Scott King courageously walked in those unfolding events alongside her sainted husband Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Linkages of mutual support and solidarity were forged then and endure to this day. I came to know the King family and treasure many fond memories of life and experiences shared together. To preserve the heritage of the social revolution and especially the legacy of her martyred husband, Mrs. King established the Martin Luther King Centre for Social Change to which many of us have been invited for dialogue and networking in pursuit of freedom, justice and equality in the world. The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 in the USA and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Presidency of Liberia evoke strong Pan-Africanist roots.
I lived through that eventful decade of the 1960’s and beyond in the USA and at the United Nations. I am, therefore, proud when I recall the shared memories and achievements and celebration of victories. The global struggle for peace and development and also against war and poverty continues. It is this struggle of human rights and peaceful co-existence in the world that preoccupied Mrs. Coretta Scott King until her last breath.
We salute the enduring legacy and express sympathy and condolences to the bereaved family and all our friends in the United States of America.
May Her Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.
Hon. Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab, MP Speaker
Speaker of the House of Parliament for the Namibia
Former Prime Minister of the Namibia and head of the UN delegation
A message from:
David Vargas, President, Division of Overseas Ministries and Co-executive, Global Ministries
Sandra Gourdet, Executive, Global Ministries Africa Office