Christine King Farris, born in Atlanta, Georgia, is the sister of Martin Luther King Jr. and first-born child of Alberta King and Martin Sr. In 1948, Farris earned a bachelor’s in economics from Spelman College. She earned a master’s in social foundations of education and later a master’s in special education from Columbia University Teachers College. After teaching at W. H. Crogman Elementary School, she became an associate professor of education at Spelman College and was appointed an adjunct professor at Morehouse College and Atlanta University. She has been active with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). For many years, she served as vice chair and treasurer of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.