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Boston Marks 60 Years Since MLK's Freedom Rally With Renewed Calls for Justice

A 10,000-strong rally on Boston Common emphasized nonviolence and resistance to federal rollbacks on diversity and equity initiatives.

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 event commemorated the 1965 Freedom Rally, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led over 20,000 people to protest segregation in Boston's schools and housing.
  • Martin Luther King III, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley spoke, urging action against systemic inequities and recent federal anti-DEI measures.
  • The rally, organized by Embrace Boston and Everyone250, featured a march from Copley Square to the Parkman Bandstand, despite heavy rain.
  • Speakers highlighted ongoing challenges, including housing affordability, racial injustice, and the elimination of federal diversity and inclusion programs under the Trump administration.
  • The City of Boston formally dedicated the intersection of Boylston and Charles streets as '1965 Freedom Rally Square' to honor the historic march.