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MLK Jr. National Historical Park to gain new exhibit honoring Coretta Scott King

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Updated  September 7, 2020 3:53pm EDT
Heartwarming News
FOX 5 Atlanta

MLK historical park expansion

Since March, the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered off internal access to MLK Jr National Park, but behind the closed doors, a transformation has taken place.

ATLANTA - Since March, the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered off internal access to Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park on Auburn Avenue.

But behind closed doors, a transformation is underway.

Park superintendent, Judy Forte, said it's about time the park more formally honors the civil rights leader's wife, Coretta Scott King.

"I'm honored and passionate about telling her story," Forte told FOX 5.

Forte walked FOX 5's Emilie Ikeda into the front entrance of the Visitor's Center, where the exhibit will come to life.

Visitors will first gain virtual access on the 40th anniversary of the park, this October -- a nod to Scott King's pivotal role in the establishment of the historic site.

"As a wife, as a mother, as a Christian woman, as a believer in this country and what we could be and the beloved community, I think that all of that will come out in our exhibit and more," Forte described.

The expansion is made possible by the National Park Foundation, the official charitable arm of the National Park Service, which is spreading a half a million dollars in grants across 23 projects honoring historic female figures.

Those projects were selected from nearly 100 applications.

"What we realized is we just discovered the tip of the iceberg on these stories," said Will Shafroth, National Park Foundation president.

The foundation's research reveals 64 percent of Americans say they wish they knew more about women's history, and Shafroth says what better time to educate visitors than 100 years since the ratification of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote.

"We intend this to be an evergreen program for the foundation and for the national park service to make sure going forward we do a much better job at revealing the important contributions women made in our society," Shafroth said.

Auburn Avenue holds a special place in the foundation's heart, presenting a unique intersection of honoring both women and African Americans, at a time the country craves overdue equality.

"I think it's a particularly important place in our nation right now, in terms of people getting perspective on where we've been and how much further we have to go, frankly," Shafroth added.