Christine King Farris

Christine King Farris
Born	Willie Christine King (1927-09-11) September 11, 1927 Atlanta, Georgia
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Spelman College, Columbia University
Known for	Civil rights, teaching, public service
Spouse(s)	Newton Farris, Sr.
Children	Angela Christine Farris Watkins Isaac Newton Farris, Jr.
Parent(s)	Martin Luther King Sr. (father) Alberta Williams King (mother)
Scientific career
Fields	Education
Institutions	Spelman College, Columbia University

Christine King Farris (born Willie Christine King; September 11, 1927) is the eldest and only living child of Martin Luther King, Sr. She teaches at Spelman College and is the author of several books and a public speaker on various topics, including the King family, multicultural education, and teaching. Professor Farris was, for many years, Vice Chair and Treasurer of the King Center and has been active for several years in the International Reading Association, and various church and civic organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Family

She is the first child of Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Christine Williams King, and is the elder sister of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Alfred Daniel Williams King I. The three siblings spent their early years in the home of their grandfather, Adam Daniel Williams, who died in 1931.

Family tragedies

Farris has endured the murder of one brother in 1968, the drowning of another brother in 1969, and the murder of her mother in 1974. Farris has not returned to Memphis, Tennessee, since she traveled there after the assassination of her brother to retrieve his body. In recent years, she has attended the funerals of her niece Yolanda King and sister-in-law, Coretta Scott King. In an interview with CNN, she said she would not attend an April 2008 event marking the 40th anniversary of her brother's assassination, because of the painful memories of her last visit to Memphis.

References

• Pin His Ear to the Wisdom Post - Boston University honors Christine King Farris, video, April 3, 2009
• Christine Farris Bio at Spelman College
• King Encyclopedia Stanford University
• Young MLK The Tavis Smiley Show, January 15, 2003
• Education Update Interview with Christine King Farris
• Honoring Willie Christine King Farris’ 80th Birthday
• Washington Informer
• Interview with Tavis Smiley Discussing Assassination Of MLK Jr on YouTube
• Christine Farris visits The Latin School
• TIME for Kids Interview
• CNN: Sister remembers 'horrible moment' King was killed
• Farris, Willie Christine King, ‘‘The Young Martin: From Childhood Through College,’’ Ebony, January 1986.