Alberta Christine Williams King (September 13, 1904 – June 30, 1974) was Martin Luther King, Jr.'s mother and the wife of Martin Luther King, Sr. She played a significant role in the affairs of the Ebenezer Baptist Church where both her husband and her son preached. King was shot dead in the church six years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... “MLK” redirects here. ... Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. ... Interior of Ebenezer Baptist Church, view from behind the pulpit. ...

Early life 1904-1926

She was born Alberta Christine Williams, the only daughter of Rev. Adam Daniel Williams, who was then the head of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jenny Celeste Parks.^[1] Williams attended high school at Spelman Seminary and obtained a teaching certificate at the Hampton Normal and Industrial Institute now Hampton University in 1924. Nickname: Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia Coordinates: , Country State Counties Fulton, DeKalb Government  - Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area  - City  132. ... Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts womens college in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Hampton University (formerly Hampton Institute) is an American university located in Hampton, Virginia. ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Alberta Williams met Michael King, whose sister Woodie was boarding with her parents shortly before leaving for Hampton. After returning from college, she announced her engagement to King at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. She worked for a short period as a teacher before the marriage on Thanksgiving Day in 1926. As women teachers were then not allowed to work while they were married, she had to give up her job as a teacher. The First Thanksgiving, painted by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863-1930). ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Family and church life 1926-1968

After the wedding, the Kings moved in with her parents. Their first child, a daughter Willie Christine King, was born on 11 September 1927. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on 15 January 1929 while their third child Albert Daniel Williams King was born on 30 July 1930 and named after her father. During this period, Michael King changed his name to Martin Luther King Sr. Christine King Ferris, born Willie Christine King on September 11, 1927, in Atlanta, Georgia is the first child of Rev. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Albert Daniel Willams King (1930–1969) He the uncle of Martin Luther King III, (who the great-grandson of Alberta Williams King & The son of Martin Luther King Jr & Coretta Scott King. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Her father died on 21 March 1931 and Martin Luther King Sr. became the pastor at the Ebenezer Church. Alberta King became the choir director and organist. This position was a critical position in an African American church where gospel music was an integral part of proceedings. Her skills as a choir director helped to keep and recruit members to the church and soon received recognition throughout Georgia. From the age of 4, Martin Luther King Jr. would sing at the Ebenezer Church and at other musical gatherings with Alberta accompanying him on the organ. The Ebenezer Church choir performed at the premiere of Gone with the Wind in 1939 and Alberta King also performed at meetings of the National Baptist Convention. is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gospel music is a musical genre characterized by dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) referencing lyrics of a religious nature, particularly Christian. ... Gone with the Wind is a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel of the same name. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. ...

Alberta King worked hard to instill self-respect into her three children. In an essay written at Crozer Seminary, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that his mother was behind the scenes setting forth those motherly cares, the lack of which leaves a missing link in life. Martin Luther King Jr. was close to his mother throughout his life.

Alberta King's mother Jennie Williams died on 18 May 1941 of a heart attack and her oldest son was so upset that he jumped from the second floor of the house. The Kings later moved to a larger yellow brick house three blocks away. Alberta King would also serve as the organizer and president of the Ebenezer Women's Committee between 1950 and 1962. By the end of this period, Martin Luther King Sr. and Jr. were joint pastors of the church. is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Family tragedies 1968-1974

Martin Luther King was assassinated, allegedly by escaped convict James Earl Ray, on April 4, 1968 while leading a march in Memphis in support of the local sanitation workers union and was pronounced dead one hour later. Alberta King was a source of strength after her son's assassination. The person who killed Martin Luther King Jr. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation). ...

Her other son, Albert Daniel King, drowned in his own pool after having become the assistant pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church (family members doubt it was an accident). She herself was shot and killed on June 30, 1974 by deranged gunman Marcus Wayne Chenault as she sat at the organ of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Chenault was a 23-year-old black man from Ohio who stated that he shot her because "all Christians are my enemies." [1] is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

Footnotes

References

• 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

External references

• Stanford University biography of Alberta King

• African American registry article on death of Alberta King

• Find a Grave article on Alberta King

• The King Centre biography of Martin Luther King Jr