Remembering Christine King Farris, Education Champion and MLK’s Sister

Christine King Farris, the oldest sister of  the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and champion of education and literacy, died June 29 in Atlanta. She was 95. 

King Farris dedicated most of her life to keeping her brother’s legacy alive. 

“We along with the entire King family, civil rights activist, historic Ebenezer Church, the academic community, and people of goodwill celebrate the life of our beloved servant,” said Bernice A. King, MLK’s daughter and CEO of The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.  

Isaac Farris, her oldest son, said that his mother’s death ”was not unexpected” but is sadly ironic because it occurred the same day as when the Supreme Court “struck down affirmative action” in education. 

Farris said that his mother “suffered” because she wanted to attend Harvard, but after that wasn’t possible, she got into Columbia University, where she earned two graduate degrees. 

King Farris was the first child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. She would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College and later master’s degrees in social foundations of education and special education from Columbia University. 

As the oldest sibling, King Farris endured multiple tragedies: the assassination of Dr. King in 1968; the death, by drowning, of her other brother, Alfred Daniel King, in 1969; and the fatal shooting of her mother Alberta King, who was assassinated while playing the organ during Sunday services at Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1974. 

“Aunt Christine embodied what it meant to be a public servant,” Martin Luther King III said in a tweet after her death. “She defied the odds that held back too many marginalized communities — going on to become a civil rights leader and acclaimed author.” 

King Farris became a founding board member of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, which was founded by MLK’s widow Coretta Scott King.  

The older sister and mother not only worked tirelessly to document her brother’s journey at the King Center, but worked as an educator for 64 years.  

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that King Farris was a “champion of literacy and education” and “Mrs. Farris was a force in her own right.” 

“As the last of the King siblings, she spent much of her life advocating for equality,” Dickerson said, adding that King Farris once said that her brother “simply gave us the blueprint, but it was our duty to carry it out.” 

King Farris was one of the longest-serving tenured professors at Spelman College, teaching at the all-women’s institution for more than five decades, according to the King Center. 

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) who is also senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, called King Farris an “iteration of the American dream.” She was also one of the longest-serving members of Ebenezer where her grandfather, father and brothers served. 

“She went on to witness the long arc of American history bend from many changes, much of it pushed forward by her brother,” Warnock said in a statement. “As her pastor, I can say that up until the very end, she embodied hope, dignity, and deep faith. Long live the memory of Christine King Farris.” 

The King Center plans to release information about her funeral at a later date.