A brief glimpse into the woman that raised a great man, the tragedies that surrounded her, and her faith that we can all learn from.
She was born September 13, 1904 in Atlanta, Georgia. She was named Alberta Christine Williams. She would be an only child. Her father was the Reverend Adam Daniel Williams, or A.D. - the preacher at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Alberta lived a relatively normal life for the time and age. She went to church faithfully and learned to play the piano. As Alberta was nearing her last days in High school, her parents started to board a girl at their house whose name was Woodie. Woodie’s brother was named Michael. Even if it was something in their minds, some sort of attraction was shared between Michael and Alberta.
Yet, college was calling and Alberta left the state to attend school. Not long after, at the young age of 20, Alberta earned a teaching degree from what is now Hampton University in Hampton Virginia. Upon graduating, Alberta and Michael began courting. They were married on Thanksgiving Day, 1926. Alberta was twenty-two years old. They were married in her father’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. Encouraged by his new father in law A.D., Michael began his schooling in ministry in the same year. Alberta was raised by a preacher and now married to one in training.
Within four short years the newly weds had three children. The oldest daughter Willie, Middle son Michael Jr., and youngest son, Alfred. But shortly after Alberta gave her father three grandchildren, he died on March 21, 1931. Because of this Alberta’s husband and green minister became the new pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in March of the same year.
Within a relatively short time, in 1934 Michael was one of ten Baptist ministers who after being able to visit the Holy Land, traveled to Germany. That was the same year the President of Germany (Hindenburg) would die. Hitler would then assume centralized power of the German people becoming the Führer - being both Chancellor and President. Despite the present mess Germany found itself in, Michael was mesmerized by the country’s religious history - Undoubtedly, Martin Luther. Seeing the sites where Protestantism was birthed, had a profound impact on the young minister. And upon arriving home in Atlanta, Michael King changed his name to Martin Luther King. He then changed his middle child’s name from Michael to Martin Luther King Jr. The boy was five years old at the time.
During all this, Alberta remained a close and caring mother to all her children. Martin Jr. would later write, that she “was behind the scenes setting forth those motherly cares, the lack of which leaves a missing link in life.” King, “An Autobiography of Religious Development,” 12 September 1950–22 November 1950, in Papers 1:359–363.
While Alberta was in the midst of raising her family, her own mother died in 1941 of a heart attack. During these years, Alberta served in the church she was raised in becoming president of the Ebenezer Women's Committee from 1950 to 1962. Besides this, Alberta’s talent in music was put to use as directer and organist of the church choir. By this time, her husband had become a mature preacher and civil rights activist becoming the head of the NAACP and her middle son was following close in his steps. Martin Jr. graduated with a doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955. Both father and son were now serving as Ebenezer’s preaching ministers. Martin Jr. had become prominent enough that the FBI under Hoover, began monitoring him by the end of the same year.
But as Luther became more of a figurehead in both Christian and political activity, Alberta found the joy of her son’s success mixed with real fear. Martin Luther Jr. was arrested on numerous occasions and went to jail twenty nine times, sometimes months at a time. His determination to see a part of God’s Kingdom arrive here on earth by people not judging others based on the color of their skin but their character was gaining more support from all people. Luther’s non violence demonstrations influenced greatly by Mahatma Gandhi, was beginning to make their point and people, black and white were being won over. But not without great cost.
The political landscape at the time was ripe with upheaval, and at times violence. Just four months after, Martin’s “I have a dream” speech in Washington ( August 28, 1963), the president of the United States was assassinated (on November 22, 1963), in Dallas, TX. The nation mourned. If the leader of the country was not properly protected, what chance did a black civil rights leader have of safeguarded?
Little did Alberta know, and although it wasn't too personal, JFK’s assignation was just the beginning of deaths that she would soon face.
Her fears increased, when on February 21, 1965, Malcom X was murdered by Nation of Islam radicals. No one, black or white, was safe from anyone. As her son Martin became more prominent and spoke out against the Vietnam War, the FBI strengthened its surveillance on Luther concerned that he was influenced by Communists, Black Nationalists or both. Whether Luther was aware or not of the FBI’s work, he continued his. In April of 1968, he traveled to Memphis in support of the local sanitations worker’s union.
On April 3rd, he gave a speech with some words seeming to foreshadow his death. Luther proclaimed, “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” King, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” Address Delivered at Bishop Charles Mason Temple, in A Call to Conscience, ed. Carson and Shepard, 2001.
The following day, just after 6:00 pm standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel, Martin Luther King, Jr. was struck in the neck by an assassin’s bullet. His brother Alfred was staying in the room beneath him. Surrounded by his friends and associates he was pronounced dead an hour later. It was April 4, 1968 and he was 39 years old.
In an instant, all of Alberta’s fears had materialized. Despite her prayers, and her faith in God, her son was taken from the country, but more painfully, taken from her. She was 64.
God seemed to have lost control. The nation was out of control. Only two months after her son was killed, Presidential hopeful and friend of the Kings, Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed while giving a speech in Los Angeles, CA.
Things just could not have been worse. While the pain of losing her son was still acute, Alberta took comfort in her daughter Millie, her husband Martin, and her son Alfred Daniel. The father and son were still pastoring together at her dad’s old Ebenezer Baptist Church. But then on July 21, 1969, just 14 months after Martin’s death, the unthinkable happened. Alberta’s youngest child and last son, Alfred Daniel King, was found drowned in his own pool. His death was ruled as accidental. And while Alfred was obviously depressed from his brother’s death and at times struggled with alcohol, he was a good swimmer. Not to allude that the cause of his drowning was unimportant, Alfred was nonetheless gone and Alberta had now lost both of her cherished boys.
Although slowly, time crept forward. And despite all the chaos swirling around Alberta, a constant and solace in her life was her church and her ministry there. She was raised at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and married there. It was her father’s church, had been her son’s church and now continued to be her husband’s church, but in reality, it was her church.
Only five years had past since losing Alfred, six for Martin, but the 69 year old Alberta found herself comfortable as she played her familiar pipe organ on a Sunday morning. She was at peace leading the church choir and playing the organ. In more ways than one, it was her sanctuary.
As she played, a young short black man, new to the church entered, joining the 400 others in attendance. He was 23 years old but looked much younger. He had a wide and large head with an abnormally long distance between his eyes that sat behind tinted eyeglasses. The innocent looking young man whose name was Marcus found a seat in the front row as Alberta was playing "The Lord's Prayer”. He had hoped to sit closer to Martin Luther Sr., but was unable.
Shortly after sitting down, Marcus drew two pistols from his clothing and started to fire at those closest to him, namely the elderly woman playing the organ.
The beautiful sound of the pipes were deafeningly silenced by gunfire. Alberta King was shot and killed on that Sunday morning, June 30, 1974 by Marcus Wayne Chenault - a mentally ill Black Hebrew Israelite. Alberta died on the floor of the church that she was raised in - that she was married in - and that she faithfully served in. She was less than 100 yards away from her son Martin’s final resting place across the street.
Any sadness and despair that Alberta might have carried at the time was now gone. She met her maker that she long served and committed herself to. She joined the heavenly family of God of saints from eternity past - but no reunion was as sweet as that which she shared with her two sons.
Years after her death, Ebenezer dedicated it's new pipe organ in honor of Alberta’s lifelong love of music and worship.
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VERSES:
Matt 27:46, Mark 15:35, Psalm 22, Job 13:15
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