Martin Luther King III and wife expecting child

Metro Atlanta

Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of revered civil rights leader — Martin Luther King Jr., will announce that he has been married for nearly two years to longtime girlfriend Arndrea Waters. And better yet, that the couple is expecting a daughter in late spring.

On the eve of a celebration in honor of his father, Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King III will announce that he has been married for nearly two years to longtime girlfriend Arndrea Waters. And better yet, the couple is expecting a daughter in late spring.

When he wasn't part of the civil rights struggle, Martin Luther King Jr. was a family man. He's seen here with his wife, Coretta, and four children (from left to right) Dexter, Yolanda, Bernice and Martin Luther King III. (AJC file photo)

King is the first the couple's children to get married, and he will be the first sibling (all seen here, from left to right: Dexter, Bernice and Yolanda) to have a child.

The happy announcement comes two years after the death of King's mother, Coretta Scott King (seen here) and less than a year after the death of his older sister Yolanda King, who passed away last May of an apparent heart attack in California.

King's bride, Arndrea Waters (second from right), sits next to him during the memorial service for his sister Yolanda King. Also present, King's siblings Dexter (far left) and Bernice.

King has long followed in his father's civil rights footsteps. In 1997 he became president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, resigning from power in 2003.

After the 'Salute to Greatness' dinner, the couple will host an "After Glow" reception, which will include a champagne toast, cake cutting and bouquet toss.

King with his mother (middle) and aunt, Christine King Farris (far right). "In light of the devastating losses that our family has suffered with the passing of Aunt Coretta and Yolanda, this is great news that a grand-child of Martin Luther King is coming into the world," said Isaac Farris Jr., president and CEO of the King Center who is a first cousin of the King children. "Our legacy continues."

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On the eve of a celebration in honor of his father, Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King III will announce that he has been married for nearly two years to longtime girlfriend Arndrea Waters. And better yet, the couple is expecting a daughter in late spring.

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