Mel King's former students said he believed in them when no one else would. Elected officials said he's the reason they were voted into office. His family said he was an inspiration to all of them.
Trailblazing community activist Melvin "Mel" Herbert King was honored by Bostonians from every corner of the city as a legend, visionary, mentor and dedicated family man at a funeral service in the South End Tuesday afternoon.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at Union United Methodist Church where many donned King's signature bow tie and each pew was adorned with a rainbow, representing King's Rainbow Coalition, which he pioneered with great success by bringing diverse Boston residents together with common issues across the lines of race and class.
One of King's most notable quotes was repeated by many with laughter and tears throughout the course of the service; "Love is the question and the answer."
King, who died at age 94 two weeks ago, was one of 11 children and had six children of his own with his wife, Joyce.
King's son, Michael, said, "We shared our father with the city and everything like that, and so I just hope that going forward we can still build on that aspect of family." Michael King said the outpouring of community support since his father's death has been inspriring and overwhelming. "I'm still riding that wave."
"I thought Grandpa was the coolest," said King's granddaughter, Xaivier Ringer. Through tears, she said King woke her up early in the morning to play tennis, taught her compassion for her community, and invited her to Saturday breakfast with her grandmother every single week.
"Grandpa, you were a consistent, steady center of my childhood that guides me even now as a woman," Ringer said.
Fighting for affordable housing, working as a teacher and social worker and hitting the streets of Boston as he campaigned for mayor and state representative helped King make a broad impact and pave the way for future politicans.
Mayor Michelle Wu, speaking at the funeral alongside Gov. Maura Healey and U.S. Rep Ayanna Pressley, said, "We know that we would not be here without Mel King."
She said King built the city up and knit its people together. "Mel's flame burns with the radius and warmth that finds itself in every corner of our city."
Healey described King as rooted in service, driven by love and leading with love. "The work of Mel King reverberates throughout this city and well beyond the borders of Massachusetts, and so will his legacy."
King was a "bottomless well of love and justice," according to Pressley. She noted that every word King said mattered and was carefully chosen. "His memory will forever nourish the earth we tread, his words will guide us on our path to justice. And today he wears an eternal crown befitting the king he was. Rest in power."
Many other Massachusetts politicans were in attendance, including U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins and several Boston City Councilors.
The funeral was filled with music from local artists and students who sang King's songs and recited his poetry. One student, Clinton Osula, said King was a role model for the community. "Mel believed in me and kids like me when the world didn't. ... Mel I can't thank you enough for all you have done."
State Rep. Byron Rushing delivered King's eulogy, sharing details about his life and advocacy in the city of Boston.
"We need to understand that Mel was not ahead of his time. Mel was right on time," Rushing said. Government leadership, he said, was behind the time and never caught up to King.
The community will gather for brunch in King's honor at Florian Hall on Sunday. King is survived by his wife, six children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
