‘We're up to the test': Ahead of 1965 Freedom Rally anniversary, MLK III offers his own rallying cry
'The strength is in our collective cultures that we need to learn, appreciate, respect, and lift up,' King told the crowd
of roughly 50 people gathered in the social club's reading room. 'That's going to make us a better nation, and maybe even a great nation.'
Advertisement
The panel, moderated by Jeneé Osterheldt, the Globe's deputy managing editor for culture, talent, and development, was the day before the remaking of the 1965 Freedom Rally. Sixty years ago, Dr. King led more than 20,000 people from Roxbury to Boston Common to highlight Boston housing and education inequality. The Saturday march comes as President Trump eliminates federal protections for migrants, queer and transgender communities, and other marginalized groups, and as
Martin Luther King III said Saturday's demonstration will be nonviolent, adding that protest movements as a whole
today have deviated from the nonviolent tone his parents struck in the activism, one that was informed by 'agape: love that is totally unselfish [and] seeks nothing in return.' Embrace Boston, the nonprofit organizing the weekend march, wants to 'ensure a safe and welcoming gathering space for everyone,'
Advertisement
King expressed concern about the rise in book bans in schools and libraries across the nation, and the 'dehumanization of immigrants.' By stamping out different perspectives and ethnic groups, King said, 'we've lost our humanity.'
The panelists acknowledged that, 60 years
later, the outcomes the King family were fighting against still exist in Boston and beyond.
Related
:
'We should be far beyond where we are,' King said. He added: 'If we don't address that, our society is doomed.'
Paris Jeffries said the forthcoming rally had two purposes: to commemorate the event's history, and apply its lessons to today. He said the 60th anniversary is at a time when the country is watching the 'dismantling' of the
'We need to ensure that we celebrate this moment,' Paris Jeffries said. Also, 'the '65 march is a part of the continuous revolution that we've been going through.'
In another effort to spotlight underrepresented voices, Paris Jeffries pointed to
Related
:
Advertisement
A part of a more encompassing history, Paris Jeffries said, is also uplifting the Kings' lasting legacy in Boston. 'Because they mean so much to us,' he told Martin Luther King III. 'You mean so much to us.'
'The Kennedys are one of the royal families that come from Boston, and the Kings are the other,' Paris Jeffries said.
Whether it is protecting marginalized history from erasure, crafting a 'responsible immigration process,' or eliminating racial wealth disparities, King acknowledged 'we have a monumental number of issues that we as a society have to address.'
'But guess what? We're up to the test,' King said. Because, he said, there is nothing that we as a society can't resolve together.
The re-creation of the march begins at Trinity Church in Copley Square and ends with a rally at the Parkman Bandstand at noon. Speakers include King, Mayor Michelle Wu, and Representative Ayanna Pressley.
Tiana Woodard can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Healey meets with recently detained Milford teen, gives him beaded rosary blessed by Pope Francis
'He blessed them?' Gomes asked Healey. ' 'Holy moly,' the teen said. 'That's crazy.' In an emotional conversation that lasted about an hour, the two discussed their love for Massachusetts and the US constitution, excitement for the upcoming World Cup, and the experiences Gomes had while in detainment at the US immigration field office in Burlington, which has doubled as a holding center amid a surge in ICE arrests. Marcony Almeida-Barros, Deputy Chief of Staff for Access and Opportunity gives Marcelo Gomes da Silva a tour of the State House in Boston on June 13. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Advertisement Healey asked Gomes about his time in detention, including what he ate and how he slept. The teen described meals of undercooked chicken and 'plastic cheese,' the concrete floors of the small cell he shared with dozens of other men, and the aluminum sheet he used as a blanket. Gomes told her he didn't have access to toiletries. 'No soap?' Healy asked. 'No,' Gomes replied. 'No toothbrush?' she asked. Gomes said he eventually was given a toothbrush, but no toothpaste. After a few days, the detained men were given a small tube to share, he said. Related : Advertisement The teen told the governor he translated English-only documents to other men detained and shared food whenever possible. Raised in Milford, He also described the day he was arrested, detailing the cuffs around his wrists, ankles, and waist, as well as the ride from his friend's driveway to the facility. 'I find beauty in humanity, that [people] always find optimism, even though they are in a horrible place,' Gomes said. 'We'd play tic-tac-toe on the floor.' Gomes said. 'Using what?' Healey asked. 'Bottle caps,' he replied. Marcelo Gomes da Silva meets with Governor Maura Healey at the State House on Friday. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Gomes and his family came to the United States when he was 6 on a visa that later expired. After Gomes's arrest, ICE officials said they were looking for his father João Paulo Gomes Pereira instead, alleging the father of three was spotted by local authorities driving recklessly at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas. No court records were found to indicate any arrests or tickets for speeding. Instead, records show Gomes Pereira was stopped for running a stop sign and driving without a license in July 2023. The charges were dismissed on recommendation of the probation department the following November. He paid $100 in court costs. Since President Trump took office, Advertisement Earlier this week, While sitting next to Healey, Gomes FaceTimed his parents, who thanked the governor for her support while Gomes was in detention. 'He's a very special young man,' Healey said to Gomes's parents. 'So kind, so humble, and so smart. We were just talking about the constitution.' 'We love Massachusetts,' Gomes Pereira, Gomes's father, told Healey. 'As Governor, that makes me really happy,' Healey replied. Gomes, who still faces deportation, said he plans to apply for asylum. Gomes da Silva takes a selfie with Governor Maura Healey at the State House in Boston on June 13. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Marcela Rodrigues can be reached at
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Boston Globe
What would Mafalda say to Trump?
That's about to change. This week, a five-volume English-language collection of Mafalda It's a timely collection, for Mafalda's blend of satire, playful humor, and layered meanings appeals to both children and adults. The strip, which ran from 1964 to 1973, is mostly known by its overt political engagement and uses Mafalda and her friends to reflect the social and ideological currents of that time in Argentina, including traditionalism, capitalism, and bureaucracy, embodied by characters like Susanita, Manolito, and Mafalda's sluggish pet turtle, Burocracia. I'm someone who's always getting rid of stuff. I don't hoard. I have little attachment to clothes, furniture, or personal belongings. But through all my moves — across neighborhoods, apartments, and stages of life — one thing has always made the cut: my collection of Mafalda comic books. Advertisement As a kid, I was attracted to Mafalda's wise-beyond-her-years humor and her innocent but sharp curiosity. She's an opinionated child who hates soup and loves democracy and the Beatles — '¡ I learned about the world through Mafalda's commentary on geopolitical issues. One of my favorite subgenres of Mafalda strips is when she reacts to newspaper headlines. Or when she's irreverent and rebellious to her parents. That's another trademark trait of Mafalda: She was not shy about questioning the adults in her life, who were often overwhelmed by what they probably saw as her inane questions, a dynamic that underscores the comic's deeper critique of adult complacency. Advertisement For many immigrants like me, Mafalda is more than a cartoon character. She's a core memory, a mindset, a Latin American cultural icon. And in a country once again led by a president allergic to dissent, nuance, and the truth, what would Mafalda say to Trump? Whatever it might be, it would be sharp and right on time. The author's Mafalda collection. Marcela García This is an excerpt from , a Globe Opinion newsletter from columnist Marcela García. . Marcela García is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Anti-vaxxer or ‘highly capable'? Ex-Harvard Medical School expert tapped by RFK Jr. for vaccine panel defies easy categories
Yet the Swedish-born scientist's views on vaccines are complex, and the rush to categorize him underscores the intense polarization of public science that accelerated during the pandemic and has continued unabated, some in the scientific community argue. His appointment came two days after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Advertisement Critics of Kennedy's move pointed out the former members had undergone a lengthy vetting process that ensured they had the right expertise and no conflicts of interest. Advertisement '[Kulldorff] is a serious and highly capable vaccine scientist who was unjustly put forth as part of a bad tribe of people who wanted to hurt the health of the nation, when all he was doing was trying to put forth a better plan for managing the country's response to the pandemic,' said Dr. Jeffrey Flier, an endocrinologist and former dean of Harvard Medical School. 'The opposition to contrarian views was pathological and ultimately detrimental to public health.' Kulldorff, who works as an infectious-disease and vaccine consultant in Connecticut, is best known as the co-author of the But, because it was published at the height of the pandemic in October 2020, many public health officials excoriated the declaration, saying lifting lockdowns that early would have caused many more deaths and hospitalizations and overwhelmed the health care system. Kulldorff is among other skeptics of lockdown and vaccine measures who were once vilified but have now gained new influence in the Trump administration. Advertisement 'It is unfortunate if each administration is trying to promote its preferred views, while vaccine science does have a lot of strong evidence and it should not be politicized,' said Kulldorff on Thursday declined to comment on his appointment to the CDC panel or discuss his views on vaccines. But in a January interview with the Globe, Kulldorff said the Great Barrington Declaration was borne out of frustration. In the fall of 2020, Kulldorff said he began communicating with several other scientists who were dismayed by the 'one-sided nature' of the public policy discussion over the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them was The trio ultimately agreed to meet for three days in Great Barrington, a town nestled in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. Between walks in the woods, they crafted a succinct statement opposing the lockdowns, noting that there was no scientific consensus for school closures and other stringent measures. They argued for a more targeted approach focused on protecting those most vulnerable, particularly the elderly, while life should resume as normal for everyone else. 'It's a basic principle of public health to protect those most vulnerable,' Kulldorff said in the January interview. 'Instead, [lockdown measures] protected the laptop class while exposing the working class.' Advertisement Almost immediately after its publication online, the declaration prompted a visceral backlash in the scientific community and among members of the Biden administration. Kulldorff said he received anonymous death threats via email and accusations that he supported 'mass murder,' he recalled. Others alleged that he was part of a right-wing conspiracy financed by the the oil billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch, he said. Facebook deleted a page set up by the scientists, and Kulldorff's account on Twitter, now X, was suspended. It later emerged that two of the nation's top federal health officials — National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, the former head of the National Institutes of Health — worked behind the scenes However, Kulldorff has repeatedly stressed that he is a supporter of vaccines and has called them 'one of the most significant health inventions in history.' At the same time, Kulldorff said he opposed the vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic in part because, in his view, people who had already been infected with the virus did not need them; and vaccination efforts should have been focused on the elderly, who were dying at far greater rates. 'Vaccines are a vital medical invention, allowing people to obtain immunity without the risk that comes from getting sick,' Kulldorff Advertisement Kulldorff was dismissed from his hospital, Mass General Brigham, and from Harvard Medical School, over the hospital's requirement for staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Kulldorff has said he declined to get the COVID shot because he had already been infected with the virus, which gave him immunity; and he didn't consider it ethical to get the vaccine while others needed it more. Kulldorff also said he has an immune deficiency that made him especially vulnerable to complications from vaccines. 'I am very much in favor of vaccines, but I was against the vaccine mandates for a few reasons,' Kulldorff said in the January interview . 'If you already had COVID, there is no need for the vaccine. It gives you natural immunity. It's better for others to take it.' Chris Serres can be reached at
