Christine King Farris, the last sibling of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has passed away.
Her niece, the Reverend Bernice King, tweeted that her “beloved aunt” died Thursday. He is 95 years old.
For decades after the murder of his brother in 1968, Farris worked with his widow, Coretta Scott King, to preserve and promote his legacy. But unlike her famous sister-in-law, Farris' activism — and grief — is often behind the scenes.
“He may not always be in the marching lines, but that is true of many of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Marcellus Barksdale, a history professor at Morehouse College, of Farris in a 2009 interview with The Associated Press. “Due to Dr. King and Coretta Scott King's luminescence, Christine is a little dimmed by it, but she is no less important.”
Farris was born Willie Christine King on September 11, 1927, in Atlanta. He was the first child of Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Christine Williams King.
Farris helped Coretta Scott King build The King Center and helped teach Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of non-violent resistance. Over the years, his regal and dignified presence was a mainstay at ecumenical services celebrating his brother's birthday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where his grandfather and father also preached and of which Farris remains a member.
The King Center tweeted Thursday that it was mourning the loss of Farris, founding board member, former co-chairman and treasurer, along with a photo of him.
Bernice King tweeted a photo of herself with Farris, writing, “I love you and will miss you Aunt Christine.”
Martin Luther King III tweeted that he, his wife and daughter were able to spend time with his aunt in her final days.
“Aunt Christine embodies what it means to be a civil servant. Like my father, she spent her life fighting for equality and fighting racism in America,” she tweeted. “She defied the odds that hold too many marginalized communities back – later becoming a celebrated civil rights leader and author. No stranger to adversity, Aunt Christine used the tragedy of killing her mother and brother to fight for change in America.”
Farris outlived many of the people he loved, including his parents, his two brothers, his sister-in-law, and his niece, Yolanda. He graduated from Spelman College in 1948 with an economics degree the same day Martin Luther King Jr. holds a sociology degree from Morehouse College.
A decade later, Farris returned to Spelman, where he worked for more than 50 years. In 1960, she married Isaac Newton Farris. The couple have two children, Angela Christine Farris Watkins and Isaac Newton Farris Jr.
“Our hearts are heavy in Atlanta today with the news of the death of Christine King Farris,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement.
“Mrs Farris is a force in itself,” said Dickens. A champion of literacy and education, he taught at his alma mater, Spelman College, for nearly 50 years. As the last child of the King brothers, she spent most of her life fighting for equality. He once said that his brother Martin had only given us the blueprints, but it was our job to ‘execute.'”
Farris wrote two children's books about his life, “My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up With the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” and “Go Forward! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World.” In 2009, he wrote a memoir, “Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family and My Faith.”
Farris often shares stories about his brother as a normal child and youth to make him and his achievements more accessible to people.
“They thought he just happened, that he seemed whole, without context, ready to change the world,” he said.