Scores of Spelman College students, graduates, sorority members and admirers from near and far flocked to the school’s Sisters Chapel Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects to one of its most beloved alumnae, Christine King Farris.
The Spelman graduate and educator died June 29 at the age of 95.
Known by some as the eldest sibling of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Farris was an accomplished author, professor and civil rights activist. She was the longest-serving faculty member at Spelman, the historically Black college for women in southwest Atlanta. She retired from the college in 2014.
Farris spent the majority of her life at Spelman. She graduated from Spelman College Nursery at the age of two, returned as a student, and graduated in 1948. A decade later, she returned to teach literacy and education.
In her 56 years of service at Spelman, Farris directed its Learning Resource Center, taught other aspiring educators and worked in the Freshman Reading Program.
“Not only was she the epitome of a lady, always dressed impeccably — she always had a hat to match her outfit — she was very instrumental in just helping Spelman women be the kind of women who go out and change the world,” said Spelman College Board of Trustees Chair Lovette T. Russell.
Farris laid in the college’s chapel Tuesday afternoon for a public viewing before community members gathered for a series of tributes to her life from the college, the chapel, the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College and the Granddaughters Club at Spelman College.
Credit: Bita Honarvar
Credit: Bita Honarvar
Tuesday’s service was the first of several events honoring Farris. Her funeral will be held at Ebenezer’s Horizon Sanctuary, 101 Jackson St. in Atlanta at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Current Spelman students Anya Williams Phelps and Kiera Metz, who are both rising sophomores, said they came Tuesday because of Farris’ lasting impact on their school.
“She’s bringing that legacy and her love back to Spelman and putting it back into her students,” Metz said. “So I think that’s really important and something I will always remember.”
Williams Phelps said her mom, who is also a Spelman graduate, encouraged her to pay her respects. Farris, she said, embodies the Spelman values both she and her mother believe in.
“She is just really a Spelman woman through and through,” said Williams Phelps of Atlanta. “I know that her daughter also went to Spelman after her and then her granddaughter after that, so that legacy that she’s creating and the way she sewed her values into her family, that speaks to me.”
After the school performed their series of tributes, Farris’ sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc., held a private ceremony to honor her life. Dozens of women of all ages came for the ritual, dressed in head-to-toe white.
Karen Washington and Roslyn S. Vaughn both pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha at their respective schools in Texas. They traveled to Atlanta from Houston.
“She’s made so many contributions to our society in leadership positions of all sorts: in the community, as a mother, as a teacher, as a legacy and as a policy fighter,” Washington said. “We certainly could not let this opportunity pass without showing our respect.”
Vaughn said she draws special inspiration from Farris as an educator. She is an elementary school principal, and said King Farris gives her something to aspire to.
“It never stops. The work, the legacy … she’s a prime example of it,” Vaughn said. “She has impacted millions of people. She has planted seeds and nuggets of knowledge that we will always carry in our lives forever and ever.”
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