March 28, 2023 - “MAPC is deeply saddened tonight to learn of the passing of Mel King, a giant in the history of 20^th century Boston. Mel was 94, and still living at the longtime home he shared with his wife Joyce and six children on Yarmouth Street in Boston’s South End."

“It is impossible to exaggerate Mel’s impact on this city. Unwilling to accept displacement, he protested with hundreds of followers in a massive “Tent City.” Today, the affordable housing that rose on that site bears the same name. Realizing that good things could be achieved in public office, he became one of the city’s first Representatives of color. Many of the housing agencies and programs that exist today owe their origin to legislation Mel drafted, filed, and passed. Thousands of families have achieved stable housing through Mel’s tireless effort."

“Today, the city and the state are filled with graduates of Mel’s ‘Wednesday Morning Breakfast Group.’ All great organizers know that food is a pathway to achievement. At the Breakfast Group, Mel was mainly the chef.  As he cooked, fed, and cleaned up, he listened to all the students and recent graduates in the room.  He tossed in an occasional word of encouragement, or sometimes, realism. He never said much. But the Group generated many of the ideas that form the bedrock of affordable housing and community development in our Commonwealth today. Well into his senior years, the tradition continued with Sunday brunches on Yarmouth Street."

“After serving on Beacon Hill and teaching at MIT, Mel developed a passion for information technology. He was driven to bridge the digital divide in Roxbury and the South End long before that term even existed. The tech center he founded is still in business today, turning young minds into tomorrow’s leaders."

“Mel possessed an astounding ability to earn the respect, even the admiration, not only of his compatriots, but also of those who disagreed with him. When he ran for Mayor in 1983, Boston was a deeply divided city. Violence and hatred were barely concealed. But Mel had a way of turning enemies into friends, proving that people who disagreed with each other, even passionately, could still be friends. It was one of his many great gifts, and one he shared with all of us. Mel always said, ‘Love is the question . . . and the answer.’"

“Today, the Mel King Institute for Community Building, a program of the Massachusetts Association of CDCs, stands as tribute to Mel, advancing his ideals and his call to action to a new generation of leaders. MAPC is proud to follow the lead of the Institute in an ongoing effort to make Boston and the entire Commonwealth a better, safer, fairer place for all our children."

"Rest in peace, Mel.”