Mel King Services Set for Early Next Week

A public viewing and visitation will be held Monday, with a funeral service on Tuesday

Former mayoral candidate Mel King talks about the record to date of Boston Mayor Ray Flynn’s administration in his office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on Oct. 9, 1984.
David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Longtime Boston activist and former state representative Mel King, who died last Tuesday at 94, will be remembered next week with a wake and funeral service in the South End.

Though he lost the 1983 mayor's race to his former House colleague, Ray Flynn, King's groundbreaking campaign marked the first time a Black candidate advanced to the final mayoral ballot in Boston. He remained active as a community organizer.

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A public viewing and visitation is set for Monday, April 10 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with an opportunity for "witnesses from the community" from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The funeral will be held Tuesday, April 11 at 12 noon. The family has invited guests to don bow ties "as a tribute to Mr. King."

Both events will take place at the Union United Methodist Church, 485 Columbus Ave., with plans to also broadcast Tuesday's funeral on Zoom.

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