First woman to preach in a statutory service at St Paul's Cathedral

In 1969, Coretta Scott King achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first woman ever to preach in a statutory service at St Paul's Cathedral in London—one of the most iconic and historic religious institutions in the world, with a tradition dating back over a millennium.

This achievement was extraordinary given the deeply entrenched patriarchal traditions of the Anglican Church and major Christian institutions generally, which had long excluded women from formal preaching roles in such prestigious and historically significant settings. St Paul's Cathedral, as the seat of the Bishop of London and site of countless royal and state occasions, represented one of the most symbolically important pulpits in the Christian world.

Coretta's invitation to preach reflected both her growing international stature as a moral and spiritual leader following her husband's assassination in 1968, and a broader—if still nascent—shift toward greater inclusion of women in religious leadership roles during the late 1960s. Her sermon would have addressed themes central to her lifelong advocacy: nonviolence, racial justice, and the intersection of faith and social action.

This barrier-breaking moment for women in religious leadership added to Coretta Scott King's growing legacy as a trailblazer who opened doors not only for African Americans but for women across multiple institutions and traditions, demonstrating that her influence extended deeply into religious and moral discourse on a global stage.