Naomi Barber King, the sister-in-law of legendary civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., has reportedly passed away at the age of 92. King, a civil rights activist herself, dedicated her life to creating equal opportunities for all Americans.
King was married to Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King, who was tragically drowned in July of 1969 at the young age of 38. Martin Luther King Jr. had just two siblings, one sister named Christine King Farris, who was older than the icon, and Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King, who was younger.
Alred and Naomi had five children in during their 19 year marriage, having tied the knot in 1950. Legacy.com reports,
Born in Dothan, Alabama, King moved to Atlanta with her mother, Bessie Barber, where they attended Ebenezer Baptist Church and heard the teachings of Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. She later went to Spelman College and the University of Alabama, where she studied interior design. In 1950, she met Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King, the youngest son of King Sr., and the pair married.
King and her husband worked alongside his brother, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s, where they took part in marches supporting Rosa Parks (1913–2005), the marches at Selma, and many other historic events. She was on hand for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, during which MLK delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. That same year, her house was bombed and destroyed. Then, in 1969, not long after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., her husband was found dead in their pool. Her mother-in-law was murdered five years later.
In 2008, King formed the A.D. King Foundation, which is devoted to helping youth achieve nonviolent change in their communities. She is the author of “AD and ML King: Two Brothers Who Dared to Dream” and was featured in the AARP documentary “Voices of Civil Rights.” King has received the Hope Worldwide Living Legend Award, SCLC Rosa Parks Freedom Award, Global Citizens Award, and many others. She spent much of her later life as a public speaker.
Legacy
Rest in peace, legend!
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