Father
![Picture](/uploads/1/5/6/2/15627004/1355020383.jpg)
Martin Luther King, Sr. (born Michael King;
December 19, 1899 – November 11, 1984) was a Baptist pastor, missionary, and an early leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He is also the
father of Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Sr. was born Michael King six days before Christmas in 1897,
the first son of James and Delia King, sharecroppers in Stockbridge, Georgia.
This was one year after the Supreme Court's Plessy v. Fergusson decision
gave the constitutional imprimatur to segregation under the "separate but equal"
doctrine. Separate but equal, de jure, but de facto, separate and
highly unequal. The Supreme Court, in one of the most shameful decisions in the
court's history, legitimated the segregationist Jim Crow laws that successfully
kept African Americans, freed by Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and
then by the post-war civil rights constitutional amendments (13th,
14th and 15th
Amendments), in bondage for another 70 years.
The young Michael King bore witness to the brutalities of the Jim Crow
South. Under the legal fiction "separate but equal," he attended the Stockbridge
Colored School, which King remembered as an institution of learning that lacked
books and even a blackboard. Despite the deprivations, he enjoyed school.
Another institution that made a lasting impression on young Michael was the
Baptist Church. His mother Delia took Michael and his siblings to church as a
respite from the hard life endured by black sharecroppers, who essentially were
bound to the land in legal peonage to the white landowners. Michael King
developed an interest in preaching the gospel, and was impressed by those
African American preachers who would not accept the status quo, but spoke out
against oppression despite the danger it put them in. Lynchings were common in
the south, and King even witnessed one
December 19, 1899 – November 11, 1984) was a Baptist pastor, missionary, and an early leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He is also the
father of Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Sr. was born Michael King six days before Christmas in 1897,
the first son of James and Delia King, sharecroppers in Stockbridge, Georgia.
This was one year after the Supreme Court's Plessy v. Fergusson decision
gave the constitutional imprimatur to segregation under the "separate but equal"
doctrine. Separate but equal, de jure, but de facto, separate and
highly unequal. The Supreme Court, in one of the most shameful decisions in the
court's history, legitimated the segregationist Jim Crow laws that successfully
kept African Americans, freed by Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and
then by the post-war civil rights constitutional amendments (13th,
14th and 15th
Amendments), in bondage for another 70 years.
The young Michael King bore witness to the brutalities of the Jim Crow
South. Under the legal fiction "separate but equal," he attended the Stockbridge
Colored School, which King remembered as an institution of learning that lacked
books and even a blackboard. Despite the deprivations, he enjoyed school.
Another institution that made a lasting impression on young Michael was the
Baptist Church. His mother Delia took Michael and his siblings to church as a
respite from the hard life endured by black sharecroppers, who essentially were
bound to the land in legal peonage to the white landowners. Michael King
developed an interest in preaching the gospel, and was impressed by those
African American preachers who would not accept the status quo, but spoke out
against oppression despite the danger it put them in. Lynchings were common in
the south, and King even witnessed one
Mother
![Picture](/uploads/1/5/6/2/15627004/17209.gif?0)
Many are aware of the U.S. Government-directed conspiracy to assassinate Martin
Luther King Jr. The James Earl Ray lone-nut killer narrative has been thoroughly
rebutted, most notably in the 1999 wrongful death lawsuit brought by the King family
against Loyd Jowers. In their verdict, the jury found that “governmental
agencies were party to the conspiracy” to murder MLK Jr. Less known is that his
mother likely suffered a similar violent fate at the hands of a MKULTRA
mind-controlled assassin.
Alberta King was shot and killed on June 30, 1974 by 23 year-old Marcus Wayne
Chenault as she sat at the organ of the Ebenezer Baptist Church during a Sunday
service. He wounded three people, two of them —Mrs. King and Deacon Edward
Boykin, 69—fatally. According to the New York Times, Chenault “told the police that
his mission was to kill the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., but he shot Mrs. King
instead because she was close to him”.
Interestingly, Alberta King’s life was taken only a few months before James
Earl Ray’s evidentiary hearing to determine whether or not he would be granted a
new trial.
The FBI maintained wiretaps on the King Family and the SCLC for some time
after MLK Jr.’s assassination. With mounting evidence of the government’s
involvement in the killing, the guilty parties had plenty of reason to be
fearful of one of MLK Jr.’s parents going public, or possibly speaking in Ray’s
defense. The last thing those bastards needed was a tag team consisting of MLK
Jr.’s mourning widow and his grieving mother (or father) blanketing the airwaves
and exposing the FBI’s murderous COINTELPRO shenanigans
Luther King Jr. The James Earl Ray lone-nut killer narrative has been thoroughly
rebutted, most notably in the 1999 wrongful death lawsuit brought by the King family
against Loyd Jowers. In their verdict, the jury found that “governmental
agencies were party to the conspiracy” to murder MLK Jr. Less known is that his
mother likely suffered a similar violent fate at the hands of a MKULTRA
mind-controlled assassin.
Alberta King was shot and killed on June 30, 1974 by 23 year-old Marcus Wayne
Chenault as she sat at the organ of the Ebenezer Baptist Church during a Sunday
service. He wounded three people, two of them —Mrs. King and Deacon Edward
Boykin, 69—fatally. According to the New York Times, Chenault “told the police that
his mission was to kill the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., but he shot Mrs. King
instead because she was close to him”.
Interestingly, Alberta King’s life was taken only a few months before James
Earl Ray’s evidentiary hearing to determine whether or not he would be granted a
new trial.
The FBI maintained wiretaps on the King Family and the SCLC for some time
after MLK Jr.’s assassination. With mounting evidence of the government’s
involvement in the killing, the guilty parties had plenty of reason to be
fearful of one of MLK Jr.’s parents going public, or possibly speaking in Ray’s
defense. The last thing those bastards needed was a tag team consisting of MLK
Jr.’s mourning widow and his grieving mother (or father) blanketing the airwaves
and exposing the FBI’s murderous COINTELPRO shenanigans
Brother
![Picture](/uploads/1/5/6/2/15627004/9629770.jpg?0)
Although Alfred Daniel King, called A.D. by family and friends, lived in the
shadows of his famous brother, Martin Luther King, Jr., he was a participant in
the African American freedom struggle often appearing at his brother’s side in
movements in Atlanta and Birmingham.
Alfred Daniel Williams King was born on 30 July 1930, in Atlanta, Georgia. A.
D., was the third child of Alberta Williams
King and Martin Luther King,
Sr. In contrast to his peacemaking brother, Martin, A.
D. was, according to his father, “a little rough at times” and “let his
toughness build a reputation throughout our neighborhood” (King, Sr.,126). Less
interested in academics than his siblings, A. D. started a family of his own
while still a teenager. He was married on 17 June 1950, to Naomi Barber, with
whom he had five children. Although as a youth he strongly resisted his father’s
ministerial urgings, King eventually began assisting his father at Ebenezer Baptist
Church. In 1959, King graduated from Morehouse
College, and that same year he left Ebenezer to become
pastor of Mount Vernon First Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia.
shadows of his famous brother, Martin Luther King, Jr., he was a participant in
the African American freedom struggle often appearing at his brother’s side in
movements in Atlanta and Birmingham.
Alfred Daniel Williams King was born on 30 July 1930, in Atlanta, Georgia. A.
D., was the third child of Alberta Williams
King and Martin Luther King,
Sr. In contrast to his peacemaking brother, Martin, A.
D. was, according to his father, “a little rough at times” and “let his
toughness build a reputation throughout our neighborhood” (King, Sr.,126). Less
interested in academics than his siblings, A. D. started a family of his own
while still a teenager. He was married on 17 June 1950, to Naomi Barber, with
whom he had five children. Although as a youth he strongly resisted his father’s
ministerial urgings, King eventually began assisting his father at Ebenezer Baptist
Church. In 1959, King graduated from Morehouse
College, and that same year he left Ebenezer to become
pastor of Mount Vernon First Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia.
Sister
![Picture](/uploads/1/5/6/2/15627004/2972236.jpg?0)
Civil rights activist and education professor Christine King Farris was born in
Atlanta, Georgia, on September 11, 1927, to Alberta Christine Williams King and
Martin Luther King, Sr. She was the eldest of three children: her younger
siblings were Martin Luther King, Jr., and Alfred Daniel (A.D.) Williams King.
Farris and her family belonged to Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her father
preached. Farris attended Yonge Street Elementary School, famous for its
organization of the first black Parent-Teacher Association, before transferring
to Oglethorpe Elementary. From 1940 to 1942, she attended Atlanta University’s
Laboratory High School, and when it closed, she enrolled at Booker T. Washington
High School, which her grandfather helped to found. In 1944, Farris graduated
from Washington High School and entered Spelman College, where her grandmother,
mother and great-aunt had all matriculated.In 1948, Farris graduated from Spelman College with her B.A. degree in
economics.
One year later, she graduated from Columbia University with her M.A.
degree in the social foundations of education. Over the next few summers, she
earned a second M.A. degree from Columbia University in special education. In
1950, Farris took her first job as a teacher at W.H. Crogman Elementary, where
she taught a seventh grade reading class. In 1958, Farris was hired as director
of the freshman reading program at Spelman College, and eventually became
director of the Learning Resources Center, a position she still holds. She is
Spelman's longest-serving faculty member. In 1965, when her brother, Reverend
Martin Luther King, Jr., led the campaign to vote in Selma, Alabama, Farris sang
at the opening rally on the day they departed for Montgomery. After his death,
his wife, Coretta Scott King, founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for
Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia. Farris served as the treasurer and
taught workshops on nonviolence. Farris also went on to found the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Child Development Center.
Atlanta, Georgia, on September 11, 1927, to Alberta Christine Williams King and
Martin Luther King, Sr. She was the eldest of three children: her younger
siblings were Martin Luther King, Jr., and Alfred Daniel (A.D.) Williams King.
Farris and her family belonged to Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her father
preached. Farris attended Yonge Street Elementary School, famous for its
organization of the first black Parent-Teacher Association, before transferring
to Oglethorpe Elementary. From 1940 to 1942, she attended Atlanta University’s
Laboratory High School, and when it closed, she enrolled at Booker T. Washington
High School, which her grandfather helped to found. In 1944, Farris graduated
from Washington High School and entered Spelman College, where her grandmother,
mother and great-aunt had all matriculated.In 1948, Farris graduated from Spelman College with her B.A. degree in
economics.
One year later, she graduated from Columbia University with her M.A.
degree in the social foundations of education. Over the next few summers, she
earned a second M.A. degree from Columbia University in special education. In
1950, Farris took her first job as a teacher at W.H. Crogman Elementary, where
she taught a seventh grade reading class. In 1958, Farris was hired as director
of the freshman reading program at Spelman College, and eventually became
director of the Learning Resources Center, a position she still holds. She is
Spelman's longest-serving faculty member. In 1965, when her brother, Reverend
Martin Luther King, Jr., led the campaign to vote in Selma, Alabama, Farris sang
at the opening rally on the day they departed for Montgomery. After his death,
his wife, Coretta Scott King, founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for
Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia. Farris served as the treasurer and
taught workshops on nonviolence. Farris also went on to found the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Child Development Center.
Wife
![Picture](/uploads/1/5/6/2/15627004/9307761.png?179)
Coretta Scott King (April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was
an American author, activist, and civil
rights leader. The widow of Martin
Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the
1960s.
Mrs. King's most prominent role may have been in the years after her husband's 1968 assassination when she took on the
leadership of the struggle for racial equality herself and became active in the
Women's Movement.
Coretta Scott King was the third of four children born to Obadiah "Obe"
Scott (1899–1998) and Bernice McMurray Scott (1904–1996) in Marion, Alabama. She had an older sister named Edythe Scott Bagley (1924–2011) an older sister named Eunice who did not survive childhood, and a younger brother named Obadiah Leonard, born in 1930.[1]
According to a DNA analysis, she descended, mainly, from people of Mende
people of Sierra Leone.[2] The
Scott family had owned a farm since the American Civil War, but were not particularly
wealthy. During the Great Depression the Scott children picked cotton
to help earn money.[1] Obe
was the first black person in their neighborhood to own a truck. He had a barber
shop in their home. He also owned a lumber mill, which was burned down by white
neighbors.Though lacking formal education themselves, Coretta Scott's parents intended
for all of their children to be educated. Coretta quoted her mother as having
said, "My children are going to college, even if it means I only have but one
dress to put on."[3] The Scott
children attended a one room elementary school 5 miles (8 km) from their home
and were later bused to Lincoln Normal School, which despite being 9 mi
(14 km) from their home, was the closest black high school in Marion, Alabama, due to racial segregation in schools. The bus was driven
by Coretta's mother Bernice, who bused all the local black teenagers.[1]
Coretta Scott graduated valedictorian of Lincoln Normal School in 1945 where
she played trumpet and piano, sang in the chorus, and participated in school
musicals and enrolled at Antioch College in yellow
Springs, Ohio. Her older sister Edythe already attended Antioch
as part of the Antioch Program for Interracial Education, which recruited
non-white students and gave them full scholarships in an attempt to diversify the
historically white campus. Coretta said of her first college:
an American author, activist, and civil
rights leader. The widow of Martin
Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the
1960s.
Mrs. King's most prominent role may have been in the years after her husband's 1968 assassination when she took on the
leadership of the struggle for racial equality herself and became active in the
Women's Movement.
Coretta Scott King was the third of four children born to Obadiah "Obe"
Scott (1899–1998) and Bernice McMurray Scott (1904–1996) in Marion, Alabama. She had an older sister named Edythe Scott Bagley (1924–2011) an older sister named Eunice who did not survive childhood, and a younger brother named Obadiah Leonard, born in 1930.[1]
According to a DNA analysis, she descended, mainly, from people of Mende
people of Sierra Leone.[2] The
Scott family had owned a farm since the American Civil War, but were not particularly
wealthy. During the Great Depression the Scott children picked cotton
to help earn money.[1] Obe
was the first black person in their neighborhood to own a truck. He had a barber
shop in their home. He also owned a lumber mill, which was burned down by white
neighbors.Though lacking formal education themselves, Coretta Scott's parents intended
for all of their children to be educated. Coretta quoted her mother as having
said, "My children are going to college, even if it means I only have but one
dress to put on."[3] The Scott
children attended a one room elementary school 5 miles (8 km) from their home
and were later bused to Lincoln Normal School, which despite being 9 mi
(14 km) from their home, was the closest black high school in Marion, Alabama, due to racial segregation in schools. The bus was driven
by Coretta's mother Bernice, who bused all the local black teenagers.[1]
Coretta Scott graduated valedictorian of Lincoln Normal School in 1945 where
she played trumpet and piano, sang in the chorus, and participated in school
musicals and enrolled at Antioch College in yellow
Springs, Ohio. Her older sister Edythe already attended Antioch
as part of the Antioch Program for Interracial Education, which recruited
non-white students and gave them full scholarships in an attempt to diversify the
historically white campus. Coretta said of her first college: