King family remembers Alberta Williams King 50 years after Ebenezer Baptist Church deadly shooting

ATLANTA — Sunday marked 50 years since the King family matriarch Alberta Williams King was shot and killed at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Alberta Williams King, the mother of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died on June 30, 1974, six years after he son was assassinated in Memphis.

Marcus Wayne Chenault entered the church and shot King at the church’s organ during “The Lord’s Prayer.” Chenault also shot and killed Deacon Edward Boykin. Church member Jimmie Mitchell survived the shooting.

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On Sunday, the King family, Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Ebenezer Baptist Church members gathered to honor King, Boykin and Mitchell with a special program “Faith Over Fear, Love Over Hate.”

The program featured several panels, including Rev. Dr. Bernice King, Warnock and Rep. Lucy McBath, who lost her son to gun violence, and church members who were there that day.

The Christine King Farris Memorial Choir, which includes former members of the Martin Luther King Sr. Choir who were supposed to sing that day in 1974, performed musical tributes from Alberta Williams King’s favorite selections.

You can watch the full panel discussion below.

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