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320:, who owned a South End restaurant, provided food for the protestors. The story received extensive coverage in the local media. In honor of the demonstration, when a housing complex at that site was dedicated on April 30, 1988, it was named "Tent City." King told reporters that the key to the project was convincing ordinary Bostonians that they had to play a role in the development of their neighborhood.
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In 1970, King created the
Community Fellows Program (CFP) in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. He served as an adjunct professor of Urban Studies and Planning and director of the Community Fellows Program for twenty-five years until 1996. CFP, a nine-month-long program brought
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In 1967, King became the director of the New Urban League of
Greater Boston. He brought job training for the unemployed and organized the community around public school, employment, and human services delivery issues. In 2003, King created The New Majority – an organization and program uniting
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in the South End. He continued doing community work, focusing on street-corner gangs as Youth
Director at the United South End Settlements (USES). King also worked as a community activist, as well as an urban renewal and anti-poverty organizer. He was fired by USES when he promoted neighborhood
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King founded the
Rainbow Coalition Party in Massachusetts in 1997. The term "rainbow coalition" had been used to describe coalitions which brought together a variety of demographic groups (including multiple ethnicities) into a political coalition. King had used it to describe his coalition of
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control over government control, but was later rehired after community protests over his firing and was given the job of community organizer. King then founded the
Community Assembly for a United South End (C.A.U.S.E.) to give tenants and community residents a voice.
308:(BRA) office on April 25 in protest of a planned parking garage that was going to be built at the corner of Dartmouth and Columbus Streets in the South End, a site where housing had been leveled. The next morning, King organized an occupation of the lot.
214:, was active in creating community programs and institutions for low-income people in the city, and was the founder of the South End Technology Center. At the time of his death, he held the position of Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the
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For the next three days, while facing police retaliation, from 100 to 400 people occupied the lot. They built tents and wooden shanties and put up a large sign welcoming the media and visitors to "Tent City."
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in the primary election. King's campaign relied heavily on volunteers, as did the campaign of Flynn. King's campaign came in a year where Black candidates in other cities had enjoyed success. This included
417:, and had both served as state representatives at the same time and worked together there on legislation. They would ultimately have a lifelong friendship, despite having run against each other for mayor.
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The Mel King
Institute for Community Building was formed in 2009 by the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (
382:, withdrew from contention after 16 years in office, Mel King ran for mayor, the first African-American to run in a final election bid for mayor of Boston, and ultimately against
386:. Though King secured the African American vote by wide margins and significant support among other ethnic groups, King ultimately lost to Flynn, an Irish-Catholic with roots in
525:) Boston, a nonprofit that supports affordable housing and community development. It is a training center and information clearinghouse for community development practitioners.
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community organizers and leaders from across
America to reflect, research, and study urban community politics, economics, social life, education, housing, and media.
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545:. It focused on development in housing, education, employment and politics in Boston from the 1950s through the 1970s. Inspired by young activists, King reprinted
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King died at his home in Boston's South End on March 28, 2023, at the age of 94. He was survived by his wife, the former Joyce Kenion, whom he married in 1951.
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for mayor on August 10, 2009. King praised Yoon's vision, his collaborative approach and his focus on improving the educational system in Boston.
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191:(October 20, 1928 – March 28, 2023) was an American politician, community organizer, and educator. In 1973, King was elected as a member of the
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King remained active as a member of the Green-Rainbow Party. In 2014, he was the campaign manager for the Green-Rainbow Party candidate for
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Boston's communities of color– Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native
Americans – uniting them around candidates for elective office.
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Upon his retirement from MIT, King established the South End
Technology Center to provide computer training for low-income people.
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presidential campaign the next year. In 2002, the
Rainbow Coalition Party merged with the Massachusetts Green Party to become the
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Boston Phoenix: "Still going strong at 75, former Boston mayoral candidate Mel King reflects on a life of political activism"
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Larson, Sandra. "Mel King Institute Fills Gap in Community." The Boston Banner: 1. Dec 15 2011. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2017.
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608:"For Mel King, former state legislator and mayoral candidate, most enduring title remains activist - The Boston Globe"
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In 1979, King ran for Mayor for the first time. He finished third in the preliminary election and was eliminated.
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neighborhood, King was one of eleven children, only nine of whom survived past infancy. He graduated from
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Clendinen, Dudley (16 November 1983). "Boston Elects Raymond L. Flynn, a Populist Councilman, as Mayor".
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In 2021, an intersection in Boston's South End was named the "Melvin H. 'Mel' King Square" in his honor.
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King endorsed Rep. Marty Walsh for mayor in his 2013 race against Boston City Councilor John Connolly.
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Time Magazine: "Boston wins by a landslide .. a black takes the primary in a racially scarred city"
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979:"Mel King, whose 1983 mayoral campaign ushered in a new era in Boston race relations, dies at 94"
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King and Flynn had known each other since childhood, meeting through both playing
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1091:"Mel King, who broke barriers in the mayor's race, endorses Kim Janey for mayor"
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916:"Raymond L. Flynn, a Populist City Councilman, Is Chosen as Boston's Mayor"
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945:"The long, sweet friendship of Mel King and Ray Flynn - The Boston Globe"
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and journal articles, King also used poetry to share his messages.
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895:"Boston Elects Raymond L. Flynn, a Populist Councilman, as Mayor"
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858:"Ray Flynn's Legacy: American Cities and the Progressive Agenda"
828:"Crowded 1983 Contest A Preamble To Today's Boston Mayoral Race"
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1190:"Inspired by young activists, King reprints 'Chain of Change'"
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Dorchester Reporter: "The Campaign that changed Boston: 1983"
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Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present
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The Other Black Bostonians: West Indians in Boston, 1900-1950
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Massachusetts House of Representatives' 9th Suffolk district
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Chain of change: struggles for black community development
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Chain of Change: Struggles for Black Community Development
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and immigrated to Boston in the early 1920s. Born in the
1166:"Making change: Mel King writes on 30 years of struggle"
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support during his 1983 mayoral campaign, preceding the
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in 1961, 1963, and 1965 – being unsuccessful each time.
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The New Majority: Uniting Boston's Communities of Color
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Interview with Mel King about living in a diverse city
769:"New Tent City is monument to 20-year South End dream"
277:, becoming Director of Boy's Work at Lincoln House, a
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Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
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Boston Redevelopment Authority protests and Tent City
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and at his alma mater, Boston Technical High School.
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King gave a last-minute endorsement to acting mayor
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In 2002, King supported Green-Rainbow Party nominee
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African-American state legislators in Massachusetts
348:; he served until 1982. He was redistricted to the
218:in their Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
1273:MassMoments: "Activists Erect Tent City in Boston"
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393:Both King and Flynn had originally been viewed as
48:Massachusetts House of Representatives
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1304:MIT News Office: "Conference to Honor Mel King"
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661:Finkelman, Paul; Wintz, Cary D., eds. (2009).
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304:In 1968, King helped organize a sit-in at the
273:In 1953, King left the classroom to work with
258:degree in mathematics. In 1951, he received a
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1359:Activists for African-American civil rights
814:"Racial violence in black-white mayor race"
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67:January 3, 1973 – January 2, 1983
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1414:21st-century African-American politicians
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1062:Citizens’ Committee for Nader/LaDuke 2000
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1007:"MA Greens Merge with Rainbow Coalition"
667:. Oxford University Press. p. 112.
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637:. Indiana University Press. p. 99.
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1319:Historymakers Profile: Hon. Melvin King
1289:"WGBH: Gail Harris interviews Mel King"
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328:King ran three times for a seat on the
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1424:21st-century Massachusetts politicians
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914:Clendinen, Dudley (16 November 1983).
893:Clendinen, Dudley (16 November 1983).
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342:Massachusetts House of Representatives
1309:South End Technology Center@Tent City
1285:for the WGBH series, Ten O'Clock News
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732:"Activists Erect Tent City in Boston"
434:, the Massachusetts affiliate of the
421:Rainbow Coalition/Green-Rainbow Party
216:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1349:American people of Barbadian descent
1134:
486:presidential campaign of Ralph Nader
1344:American people of Guyanese descent
1192:. The Bay State Banner. 2016-11-30.
1089:Irons, Meghan (14 September 2021).
791:"PD43+ » Candidate Profile..."
585:1975–1976 Massachusetts legislature
580:1973–1974 Massachusetts legislature
226:King's mother, Ursula, was born in
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1073:"Mel King endorses Yoon for mayor"
699:New Urban League of Greater Boston
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1419:21st-century American legislators
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1239:www.tech-center-enlightentcity.tv
340:In 1973, King was elected to the
324:Boston School Committee campaigns
266:, and then taught math, first at
234:. His parents met and married in
230:, and his father, Watts King, in
1164:Rezendes, Michael (1982-04-06).
1012:Green Party of the United States
943:Cullen, Kevin (March 30, 2023).
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1205:"Review of Streets by Mel King"
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976:Feeney, Mark (March 28, 2023).
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16:American politician (1928–2023)
1223:– via Publisher Website.
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754:Boston TV News Digital Library
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306:Boston Redevelopment Authority
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1394:People from South End, Boston
1015:. May 3, 2002. Archived from
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458:Secretary of the Commonwealth
206:King, a lifelong resident of
1203:Holder, Doug (Spring 2009).
767:Martins, Gus (May 1, 1988).
511:2021 Boston mayoral election
374:In 1983, when the incumbent
370:1983 Boston mayoral election
244:Boston Technical High School
197:1983 Boston mayoral election
7:
1369:Boston State College alumni
1143:. Boston: South End Press.
631:Johnson, Violet M. (2006).
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468:Endorsements of candidacies
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138:Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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509:before the primary of the
482:2000 presidential election
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252:Orangeburg, South Carolina
1374:Claflin University alumni
1124:Community Fellows Program
750:"Tent City Protest, 1968"
447:governor of Massachusetts
262:degree in education from
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268:Boston Trade High School
1409:Politicians from Boston
1354:American urban planners
1209:Wilderness House Review
552:In addition to writing
330:Boston School Committee
856:Dreier, Peter (1993).
537:In 1981, King's book,
517:The Mel King Institute
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438:of the United States.
246:in 1946 and then from
560:Later years and death
476:King speaking in 2010
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364:1983 mayoral campaign
356:1979 mayoral election
122:Boston, Massachusetts
1389:Massachusetts Greens
1019:on 18 September 2011
484:, King endorsed the
460:and Ian Jackson for
350:9th Suffolk district
346:4th Suffolk district
336:State representative
286:Political activities
264:Boston State College
177:Boston State College
156:Joyce King (m. 1951)
1404:Writers from Boston
493:Boston City Council
432:Green-Rainbow Party
256:Bachelor of Science
189:Melvin Herbert King
109:Melvin Herbert King
1170:The Boston Phoenix
1135:King, Mel (1981).
920:The New York Times
899:The New York Times
885:The New York Times
715:2013-10-04 at the
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1079:, August 10, 2009
541:was published by
404:Harold Washington
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73:Preceded by
54:9th Suffolk
1328:Categories
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926:3 November
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395:underdogs
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316:legend
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