BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston honored civil rights icon and trailblazing politician Mel King on Wednesday by renaming a school after him.
City officials and educational leaders gathered at 90 Warren Avenue Wednesday morning to celebrate the renaming of the McKinley Schools as the Melvin H. King South End Academy.
The McKinley Schools is a group of four schools in one that provides special education to students in Kindergarten through grade 12.
Mayor Michelle Wu said the schools will also be renovated this coming year.
“To rename this school in Mel King’s honor is one thing, we are very proud to do that, but to reshape it in his image, to infuse it truly with his commitment, love, and vision is another endeavor that goes on and will be an act of service every single day,” Wu said.
King was a longtime community activist, educator, and lawmaker who made history as the first Black person to make it on the ballot for Boston mayor in 1983. He died last month at the age of 94.
A mural depicting King and his famous words, “Love is the question and the answer” is painted on one of the McKinley Schools’ buildings.
King’s wife, Joyce King, shared the couple’s story on Wednesday and spoke about the role education and the South End played in both her life and her husband’s life.
“Almost everybody we knew left the South End and moved someplace else in the city of Boston or outside of the city,” Joyce said. “Melvin did not want to leave the South End. So, we didn’t.”
“[B]ecause he believed so much in education, all kinds of education, this particular program at the particular time is special for me,” Joyce continued.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)