In memory of activist Mel King

Mel King was an activist who transformed our city. We are deeply saddened to hear of his passing and very moved to reflect on his impact. In 1983 he was the first African-American in Boston to run in a mayoral election. He is also a former State Representative, and he formed the Rainbow Coalition to bring diverse communities together and unite them around a common progressive agenda. As an activist he focused on closing the racial achievement gap in Boston schools, generating jobs for people of color, and giving a voice to low income communities.

A reflection by Ros Everdell, former Deputy Director of DSNI, on the impact that Mel King had on the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative:

“As an organizer, Mel is rare. He had a truly encompassing view of what a just world looks like. He supported affordable housing, the development of community development corporations, growth of community gardens, civil rights, voting rights, gay and lesbian rights, quality education, youth empowerment, tenants’ rights, community & neighborhood control to name a few. His support for all those causes was the foundation of his visionary understanding of the connections between people and different forms of oppression. His global view of justice inspired me and upon moving back to Boston in 1985, I joined the Rainbow Coalition, and it’s not an over exaggeration to say that DSNI’s organizing theory is deeply engrained in the vision he professed and lived.”

“In Mel’s work he wore every hat; he was as an activist, educator, organizer, elected official and an author. Despite his intimidating resume, he spoke, walked, and encouraged so many of us. Mel was a visionary who stood up for what was just and fair, always inspiring others, and understanding how important that was. He was always including others, always organizing, building community, and leaving footprints, policies, and actions in place to move things forward. He was a strong supporter of DSNI and checked in regularly on DSNI’s development without displacement journey. His connection with DSNI was a down-to-earth one. While Mel was at MIT, he would bring the Community Fellows by to ask about us and find out the latest. He was both a model of who DSNI, and I, wanted to be and someone deeply curious about how we were modifying his tactics to fit the specifics of the Dudley Street neighborhood. Following in Mel’s footsteps traces the history of community organizing and neighborhood control in the Boston, and DSNI continues that journey today.”

 —Ros Everdell

In the words of Gus Newport, our former executive director and the former mayor of Berkeley, California:

”I first got to know him in the 70s. Mel loved Dudley Street and he came around to see the community approach that DSNI was going through. He would listen and offer ideas. He would sit down with us and stretch out with his tall self, and you could see his mind just going. He was so respected that we all just listened to him. He was truly a community person. We learned from one another, and no one of us assumed that we knew it all.”

—Gus Newport