Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died Thursday. She was 95.
Officials with the Martin Luther King Jr. Center remembered Farris as an “activist, educator, and family matriarch” in a statement sharing news of her death.
“Dr. Farris’ life overflowed with acts of service, love, and education that inspired the world for nearly a century,” the statement read.
The King Center Mourns the Loss of Dr. #ChristineKingFarris, Founding Board Member, Esteemed Educator, Author, Activist, and Sister of #MLK pic.twitter.com/jvf38iJk1U
— The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) June 29, 2023
Farris’ niece, the Rev. Bernice King, called her “An extraordinary educator” a “Phenomenal Woman” and an “Inspiring Human” in a post on social media.
“I love you, Aunt Christine,” she wrote. “I will always cherish you. I will miss you.”
Dr. Christine King Farris.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) June 29, 2023
An extraordinary educator.
My father’s sister.
One of the co-laborers with my mother in founding The King Center.
Phenomenal Woman.
Inspiring Human.
She survived and thrived.
I love you, Aunt Christine.
I will always cherish you.
I will miss you. pic.twitter.com/Xdt3Ot0pCy
In a statement obtained by WSB-TV, Martin Luther King III said his aunt “embodied what it meant to be a public servant.”
“Like my dad, she spent her life fighting for equality and against racism in America,” he said. “She defied the odds that held back too many marginalized communities — going on to become a civil rights leader and acclaimed author.”
She defied the odds that held back too many marginalized communities – going on to become a civil rights leader and acclaimed author. No stranger to adversity, Aunt Christine used the tragedies of the assassinations of her mother and brother to fight for change in America.
— Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3) June 29, 2023
We will truly miss my Aunt, but know that she leaves behind a tremendous legacy that will outlive us all and we commit to carrying that legacy on for future generations.
— Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3) June 29, 2023
Born Sept. 11, 1927, as Willie Christine King Farris, she was the eldest of the three King siblings, including the Rev. Martin Luther King and A.D. King, according to WSB and The Associated Press. She graduated from Atlanta’s Spelman College and New York’s Columbia University Teacher’s College and spent eight years with Atlanta Public Schools before returning to Spelman College for work, WSB reported. She taught at the college from 1958 until her retirement in 2014.
“Mrs. Farris was a force in her own right,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement obtained by WSB. “As the last of the King siblings, she spent much of her life advocating for equality. She once said that her brother Martin simply gave us the blueprint, but it was our duty ‘to carry it out.’”
In 1960, Farris married Isaac Newton Farris in a ceremony officiated by her brothers, WSB reported. The couple had two children, Isaac Newton Jr. and Angela Christine.
After her brother’s assassination in 1968, Farris worked for decades alongside his widow, Coretta Scott King, to preserve his legacy and teachings. She wrote two children’s books, “My Brother Martin” and “March On: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World,” and an autobiography “Through It All: Reflection on My Life, My Family, and My Faith.”
The King Center said Thursday that celebration of life arrangements will be announced at a later date.
