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yesterday

Boston Honors 60th Anniversary of MLK's 1965 Freedom Rally

10,000 marchers retrace historic route as Martin Luther King III calls for unity and critiques federal rollbacks on diversity and immigration policies.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is completely surrounded as he leads a civil rights march in Boston, April 23, 1965, en route to historic Boston Common where he will address a crowd. (AP Photo, file)
FILE - Civil rights marchers parade down Columbus Ave. in Boston led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., en route to historic Boston Common, April 25, 1965. (AP Photo, file)
Wayne Lucas, right, who sixty years ago participated at the Freedom Rally on Boston Common, talks with Imari Paris Jeffries, the president and CEO of Embrace Boston, at the "The Embrace" sculpture on the common, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
BOSTON – APRIL 23: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks from the Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common at the end of a march through the city to protest segregated housing conditions and racially imbalanced schools, April 23, 1965. (Photo by Joseph Runci/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Overview

  • The 60th-anniversary Freedom Rally, organized by Embrace Boston, Everyone250, and the City of Boston, drew 10,000 participants to retrace the 1965 march route from Trinity Church to the Parkman Bandstand.
  • Martin Luther King III delivered the keynote address, emphasizing nonviolence, coalition-building, and the need to address systemic inequalities in housing, education, and immigration.
  • The City of Boston formally designated the corner of Boylston and Charles streets as '1965 Freedom Rally Square' in honor of the original march's legacy.
  • Key speakers, including Mayor Michelle Wu and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, highlighted ongoing challenges to racial and social justice in Boston and nationwide.
  • The rally served as both a commemoration of past civil rights milestones and a critique of the Trump administration's recent actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.