Atlanta, Georgia (September 13, 1904 -June 30, 1974) age 69 yrs

Alberta Williams King, mother of Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta in 1903. She was the only surviving child of Jennie Celeste Williams. Her father was Adam Daniel Williams, the pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. King often spoke of the positive influence his mother had on his moral development. He deemed her “the best mother in the world.” Williams King followed in her mother’s footsteps as a powerful presence in Ebenezer’s affairs. She founded the Ebenezer choir and was an organist there from 1932 to 1972. She continued her studies at Morris Brown College, receiving a BA in 1938. She was also organist for the Women’s Auxiliary of the National Baptist Convention from 1950 to 1962. She was active in the YWCA. She also participated in the NAACP and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. As a mother, Alberta worked diligently to instill a sense of self-respect within her three children. On June 29, 1974, Williams King played the organ during Sunday services at Ebenezer. Marcus Chenault, a 21-year-old man from Ohio, shot her. She died one day later June 30, 1974.