Wayne Lucas, a proud native Bostonian, spent his formative years navigating life in foster homes throughout Roxbury and Dorchester.
Having grown up near Pasadena Road, just off of Blue Hill Avenue, Lucas became involved with Freedom House, a time-honored Roxbury/Dorchester organization dedicated to uplifting and developing Black and brown youth.
At just 15 years old, Lucas learned from Freedom House that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was scheduled to be in Boston in April of 1965.
He was already familiar with King’s commitment to racial equality, so the news sparked excitement in him and many of his peers.
Dr. King was not merely visiting; he was set to lead the Freedom March and Rally.
The event emerged as a significant moment during a time when the civil rights movement was gaining momentum across the United States.
“It filtered down to the younger people,” Lucas recalls, emphasizing the palpable hope and energy that young activists felt.
During that era, Roxbury and Dorchester residents were actively protesting against segregation in public schools, the lack of affordable housing, and economic inequalities disproportionately affecting Black communities.
Despite what Louise Day Hicks, then chair of the Boston School Committee, claimed about the non-segregated nature of Boston schools, data from the Advisory Committee on Racial Imbalance proved otherwise.
Urban renewal initiatives were intended for community revitalization but often led to the displacement of low-income residents.
Activists clamored for the inclusion of marginalized individuals in anti-poverty planning to ensure equality across the board.
On the day of the Freedom March, Lucas walked a short distance from his junior high school to Freedom House, excited to join fellow students after a day in school.
Despite the dreary, cold weather, the anticipation for the impending march energized Lucas and his friends.
“Back then, most everybody wore shoes, not sneakers,” he recalls, laughing at how the prospect of a long, uncomfortable walk didn’t deter their spirits.
Carter Playground in Roxbury served as the main gathering point for participants, and Lucas has vague memories of how they reached the location, unsure whether they took one of the numerous buses provided for the occasion.
Marching down Columbus Avenue was a defining experience for Lucas, who remembers the chants and makeshift signs held by passionate fellow marchers.
He estimates that around 15,000 attended the rally, marching together amid an atmosphere of hope and determination.
As they arrived at the Parkman Bandstand in Boston Common, local leaders addressed the enormous crowd; these included Ruth Batson from the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and Alan Gartner of the Boston Congress for Racial Equity.
Then it was Dr. King’s turn to speak.
Lucas remembers watching from the hillside as King made his remarks, stirring a collective sense of enthusiasm among the crowd.
“Not too many people, I’m sure even my generation, could say they’ve seen Dr. King,” Lucas reflected.
King acknowledged that while racism differed between the North and the South, it was far from nonexistent in Boston.
“Birmingham is not Boston,” he stated, highlighting the distorted perceptions about racial progress that many held.
Yet he insisted that it would be morally irresponsible to ignore the denial of opportunities and the pervasive poverty confronting many communities.
Reflecting on the grassroots perspectives within Boston, King urged the crowd to recognize that America had yet to fulfill its democratic vision.
Despite the optimism many felt, Lucas recalls that several friends did not attend the rally due to fears of potential violence.
Fortunately, the event concluded peacefully.
As Lucas made his way back home via the MBTA, he was surrounded by fellow marchers, conversing about the event and the hope it inspired:
“Maybe this is going to be the beginning of something new in Boston,” he reminisces.
As a teenager, Lucas struggled to envision the profound implications for the city following the rally.
However, he faced racial hostility just months later while participating in a race in South Boston.
Despite being a track star, he vividly remembers being called derogatory names during the competition.
Boston, it turned out, still had many challenges to address.
The upheaval created by the Boston busing crisis in the 1970s symbolized the lingering racial tensions in the city.
Moreover, gentrification surged in neighborhoods like the South End and Jamaica Plain, further complicating relations between communities of color and the police, especially in the 1980s and 1990s.
Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, highlights the continual struggle for equity among people of color in the city.
“In Boston, we, as Black folks, have had to fight for things,” he explains.
The mistrust built from systemic discrimination has created barriers that require time and effort to dismantle.
Yet, Jeffries remains hopeful, noting positive changes in recent years under new leadership.
The 60th anniversary of the 1965 rally will be commemorated on April 26, when Embrace Boston leads a mini-march and rally to honor those who forged a path for change.
“It’s an activation that is relevant in the moment,” Jeffries states, advocating for recognition of both history and ongoing struggles.
Through this event, Embrace Boston aims to reignite conversations about the obstacles still faced by residents while also encouraging civic engagement among the youth.
“My grandfather expressed pride in having participated in that rally,” recalls his family.
He sees it as the genesis of his political awareness while acknowledging the vital need for systemic change.
“It is our responsibility to take a part in it,” he asserts.
The Freedom March and Rally of 1965 remains an enduring testament to the fight for justice in Boston.
With each passing year, the stories of those who participated provide a foundation for future generations to continue advocating for equality and change.
image source from：https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/04/23/martin-luther-king-boston-march-anniversary
