Booth stated, at Mrs. Kings funeral, that she sounded no trumpets to call attention to her greatness. Her legacy has been overshadowed by the powerful men in her life and that is something that Mrs. King didnt mind at all. .header-wrap-top .top-menu .top li a:hover{ She and Michael King, then a young preacher, married on Thanksgiving Day in 1926. Freedom's Ring: King's "I Have a Dream" Speech, A. D. Williams becomes pastor of Ebenezer, King, Sr., installed as pastor of Ebenezer, Alberta Williams King initiates Ebenezer annual musicals, Alberta Williams King receives BA from Morris Brown College, King participates in summer work program in Simsbury, King enrolls in classes for first term of first year at Crozer. Alberta Christine Williams King (September 13, 1904 June 30, 1974) was Martin Luther King Jr.'s mother, married to Martin Luther King Sr. She played a significant role in the affairs of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Martin Luther King Sr. passed away from a heart attack on November 11, 1984, at age 84. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; font-size:38px; So yeah, it wasnt a far fetched assumption to think Mrs. Alberta King was the victim of a bigger plot. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? She retired from official church duties in 1972. } This is overt. Alberta King was instrumental in founding the Ebenezer choir and serving as its director for almost 25 years until accompanying her son, Rev. On August 3, 1995, he suffered a stroke, and was taken to a hospital, where he died of complications from his stroke on August 19, at age 44. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Williams_King, Alfred Daniel A.D. King The Brother to the Dream. The King family later moved to a large yellow brick house three blocks away. King Sr. wasnt at the church that day. She and Michael had three children together Willie Christine, Martin (born Michael), and Alfred Daniel in the Atlanta home where King had grown up. Boykin was pronounced dead on arrival. A.D. was in the room directly beneath Martin at the Lorraine Hotel when the gun blast went off. She founded the Ebenezer choir, serving as organist there for 40 years and was a member of the YWCA, NAACP and the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom. She was also organist for the Womens Auxiliary of the National Baptist Convention from 1950 to 1962, and was active in the YWCA, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom. The publication offers a chance to look at Kings family photos, like the ones seen here. It seemed like I was watching a scene from a bad movie play out, Christine King Farris, Albertas daughter, would recall in her 2009 memoir Through It All. The King family later moved to a large yellow brick house three blocks away. Yes this is true. [11] She served as choir director for nearly 25 years, leaving for only a brief period in the early 1960s to accompany her son and assist him with his work. He was later resentenced to life in prison, partially as a result of the King family's opposition to the death penalty. Photograph: Alberta and Martin Luther King Sr., Courtesy of Jim Peppler Collection, Alabama Department of Archives and History. NAACP Director Expresses Sadness at the Death of Alberta King. Although they enjoyed living in the city, they both decided they wanted to spend some time in a more rural area. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Born Alberta Christine Williams in 1903; assassinated in 1974; daughter of Reverend Adam Daniels Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church; married Martin Luther King, Sr. (b. King, Alberta Williams (1903-1974)African-American church organist and mother of Martin Luther King, Jr. Name variations: Mama King. She founded the Ebenezer choir and was an organist there from 1932 to 1972. After their wedding, the newlyweds moved into an upstairs bedroom in the Williams home on Auburn Avenue, where King, Jr., and his two siblings, Willie Christine and Alfred Daniel, were born. Sadly, the King familys tragedies didnt end there and Alberta Williams King would soon meet the same fate as her son. Mrs. King, a source of strength following her son's assassination, faced fresh tragedy the next year when her younger son and last-born child, Alfred Daniel Williams King, who had become the assistant pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, drowned in his pool. [1] King died shortly afterward from a gunshot wound to the right of her head. One of the churchs deacons, Edward Boykin, was also killed in the attack, and a woman was wounded. GREAT NEWS! Read an excerpt from Daddy King here on TIME.com. And this should give you an even greater realization of the evil that men do. In 1926, Alberta Williams, daughter of Reverend Adam Daniels Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, married Martin Luther King, Sr., who had pastored two small churches in Atlanta and was taking courses at Morehouse College. While rocks were being thrown at gathering policemen and the situation escalated, A. D. King climbed on top of a parked car and shouted to the rioters in an attempt to quell their fury: My friends, we have had enough problems tonight. .home .header .logo h1 a,.home .header .logo p,.header .logo a,.header .logo p,header.smaller .header .logo h1 a{ She taught me that I should feel a sense of somebodiness but that on the other hand I had to go out and face a system that stared me in the face every day saying you are less than, you are not equal to,' he wrote, noting that King also taught him about slavery and the Civil War and described segregation as a social condition and not a natural order., He continued, She made it clear that she opposed this system and that I must never allow it to make me feel inferior. Then she said the words that almost every Negro hears before he can yet understand the injustice that makes them necessary: You are as good as anyone. At this time Mother had no idea that the little boy in her arms would years later be involved in a struggle against the system she was speaking of.. Alberta Williams would sit on the porch of 501 Auburn Avenue . The New York Times reported that Chenault told the police that his mission was to kill the Rev. All I had to give him was the key to open his mind.. @media screen and (max-width: 1024px){ Magazines, Digital } Because the local school board did not allow married women in the classroom, Williams taught only briefly before her marriage on Thanksgiving Day 1926. She instilled a sense of self-respect in all of her children from the very beginning.. .home.page-template-magazine-template .navigation .menu > li > a:hover{ Its not just a friendly favor. He was murdered. For his part, Daddy King said publicly that the civil-rights movement killed both of his sons, furthering the family narrative. King Jr. with his work between 1955 and 1963 when she returned to Ebenezer. Alberta was president of the Ebenezer Women's Committee from 1950 to 1962. .page blockquote{ Mrs. King, 70, died later that day. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Wheeling. border-bottom: 1px solid #f4c85e; In a piece he wrote as a student at Crozier Seminary, he described his mother as being "behind the scene setting forth those motherly cares, the lack of which leaves a missiing link in life." You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. She continued her studies at Morris Brown College, receiving a BA in 1938. .header a#pull,.home .header a#pull,.header-wrapper header.smaller a#pull,.page-template-magazine-template.page .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper a#pull:before{ .page-template-magazine-template.page .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper a#pull:before { On Sunday June 30 1974, Alberta Christine Williams King played The Lords Prayer on the organ of Ebenezer Baptist, the church where her father, A.D. Williams, her husband, Martin Luther King Sr., and son, Martin Luther King Jr., all had served as pastors. Literally maybe who walked with kings and queens, but retained the common touch., MLK Jr., an illustrious speaker and orator, was very close to his mother and would often write her when he was out of town. [8] About this time, Michael King changed his name to Martin Luther King Sr. [9] Alberta King worked hard to instill self-respect into her children. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. fbq('track', 'PageView'); background: #f4c85e; [18][19], Lewis V. Baldwin, The Voice of Conscience: The Church in the Mind of Martin Luther King, Jr (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010, 27), Last edited on 16 December 2022, at 16:55, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, "Martin Luther King's mother slain in church: From the archive, 1 July 1974", "Birth Home - Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)", "Alberta Williams King receives BA from Morris Brown College", "I Gave Marcus the Key" Dayton Daily News, July 3, 1974, pp.1, 15, "M. W. Chenault, 44, Gunman Who Killed Mother of Dr. King", The Papers of Martin Luther King Jr. Volume I: Called to Serve, January 1929-June 1951 (University of California Press, 1992) Introduction, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (New York: Warner Book, 1998) Chapter 1 edited by Clayborne Carson, Martin Luther King, Jr., "Autobiography of Religious Development," 22 November 1950, Stanford University biography of Alberta King, African American registry article on the death of Alberta King, The King Center biography of Martin Luther King, Jr, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alberta_Williams_King&oldid=1127784363, This page was last edited on 16 December 2022, at 16:55. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, https://www.atlantamagazine.com/civilrights/the-murder-of-alberta-king/, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/01/martin-luther-kings-mother-slain-in-church-1974, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/king-alberta-williams, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. target_type: 'mix' t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; color:#494bbc; Because the local school board at the time did not allow married women in the classroom, King taught only briefly before her marriage at Ebenezer on Thanksgiving Day 1926. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Clockwise: King Sr.; mother-in-law, Mrs. Jeannie C. Parks Williams; son Martin Luther Jr.; daughter, Christine; younger son, Alfred Daniel, and wife, Alberta Williams King. He said that [he] was a college kid who didnt know anything,, a week after Mrs. Kings murder. The Remarkable Life And Death Of Alberta Williams King, The Mother Of Martin Luther King. On July 21, 1969, nine days before his 39th birthday, A. D. King was found dead in the swimming pool at his home. Region. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Alberta Williams King was born on September 13, 1904 (died on June 30, 1974, she was 69 years old) in Atlanta, Georgia as Alberta Christine Williams. header,.page header{ m 1950 to 1962. Alberta Williams King, left, with her son Martin Luther King Jr. and daughter-in-law Coretta Scott King in 1958. } This is a carousel with slides. font-size:38px; Alberta Williams King was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, but the 69-year-old had sustained a fatal wound to the head. 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