Longtime Boston civil rights activist Mel King, whose 1983 campaign for mayor helped the city begin to repair some of the racial divisions sparked during the school busing crisis, has died. He was 94.
King served in the state Legislature for nearly a decade before becoming the first Black man to reach a Boston general mayoral contest, facing off against a fellow state representative, Ray Flynn.
Gov. Maura Healey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at all state buildings Wednesday, acknowledging the death of King, whom she described as a “dedicated public servant and civil rights champion.” The election was a test for the city, which had undergone years of strife following the court-ordered desegregation of the public schools in the mid-1970s. Flynn, who represented the predominantly white, Irish neighborhood of South Boston, was an opponent of busing.
But instead of reigniting the discord, the race had the opposite effect, being seen as respectful, even friendly at times.King brought in support from a range of racial groups, dubbing his movement the “Rainbow Coalition” — a name adopted by the Rev. Jesse Jackson during his presidential campaigns. “What I believe people want more than anything else is a sense of a vision that’s inclusive and respectful and appreciative of who they are. What the Rainbow Coalition did was to put that right up front because everybody could be a member,” King said in a 1993 interview with The Boston Globe.
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Boston activist and politician Mel King, 'our Nelson Mandela,' dies at 94In a city that touts its history as a temporary home to two giants of the Civil Rights Movement, Mel King was 100% home-grown: a tireless organizer against apartheid and multiple wars, and in favor of affordable housing, good paying jobs and more.
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Mel King, who helped ease Boston's racial strife, dies at 94Longtime Boston civil rights activist Mel King, whose 1983 campaign for mayor helped the city repair some of the racial divisions sparked during the school busing crisis, has died
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