On Tuesday, famous former state lawmaker Mel King died aged 94 in his South End residence. King became the first Black Boston mayoral candidate in 1983. Joyce, his wife, said Mr. King had been sick for months after a fall a year and a half ago. Three days after being temporarily hospitalized at Boston Medical Center, he sought release and went home.
Mel King Dies at 94: Legendary Black Leader Obituary
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Local politicians honor 94-year-old Boston civil rights pioneer Mel King. In his sleep, he died. King inspired generations of leaders who struggle for equality, according to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. She added that his work had concentrated on boosting incomes and opportunities for everybody and that he had been a major Boston politician for decades.
Senator Ed Markey recalled working with King and his social justice legacy. Longtime South End resident King was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1973 and served for almost a decade.
He lost the 1983 Boston mayoral general election as the first Black candidate. Mayor Wu sent her sympathies to King’s family and friends and said his legacy will inspire future leaders. A complete list of survivors and funeral arrangements for King was unavailable.
Mel King Death: Family, Ethnicity, Upbringing
Mel King married Joyce Ferriabough. They married in 1951 and had six children, including Charlene, Karen, and Melvin Jr. Mel was born October 20, 1928, in Boston. He has eleven siblings.
King is American and African American. He grew raised in South End as the son of Caribbean immigrants. His mother, Ursula (Earle) King, was from Guyana, and his father, Watts Richard King, was a Barbados-born longshoreman.
King was raised by community activists who instilled a strong sense of social justice. Following his 1951 bachelor’s degree from Claflin College in South Carolina, King returned to the South End.
He later earned a master’s in teaching from Boston Teachers College and studied at Northeastern and Boston colleges. King temporarily taught at Boston Trade and Boston Technical high schools before becoming a South End Settlement House social worker.
At the same place, he founded another “freedom school”. King and Joyce Kenyon married in 1951 and lived together. He was raised in Boston and was active in its political and social activities.
King was a distinguished academic who taught at multiple colleges in addition to his political and community involvement. He advocated for youth empowerment and societal transformation via education.
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