ATLANTA — Atlanta's all-women historically Black college received an inaugural award that honors the beloved older sister of Martin Luther King Jr. and acclaimed educator, Dr. Christine King Farris.
Spelman College was granted the Beloved Community Christine King Farris Legacy of Service in Education Award Service in Education award on Saturday at The King Center's Beloved Community awards. The ceremony is a part of the week-long King holiday events as people worldwide celebrate his birthday and his legacy on Monday.
Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of the Civil Rights leader and CEO of The King Center, took to the X platform to congratulate the college for its work.
"Congratulations to @SpelmanCollege, who was awarded @thekingcenter’s inaugural Beloved Community Christine King Farris Legacy of Service in Education Award (named in honor of my aunt). A remarkable achievement," she said in her X post.
Each individual or organization granted a Beloved Community Award is recognized for their "excellence in leadership, pursuit of social justice, and commitment to creating the Beloved Community in the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King," The King Center website said.
King Farris passed away in June at 95. She was one of the foundational influences in establishing both the King Center, after her brother's assassination and what would become the Learning Resources Center at Spelman's Department of Education. During the Civil Rights Movement, she participated in the landmark Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 and the March Against Fear in Mississippi the next year.
Spelman College quoted Bernice King's post on X with the following statement:
"Spelman is deeply honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Beloved Community Christine King Farris Legacy of Service in Education Award, a tribute to the incredible work of Professor Emerita Farris, C’48, who dedicated her life to shaping minds at Spelman and beyond."
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