Historic plaque unveiled, honors Coretta Scott King’s legacy in Boston
By Danae Bucci, Imani Clement
Click here for updates on this story
BOSTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — On what would have been Coretta Scott King’s 99th birthday, several Boston organizations came together to honor the activist’s legacy and connection to the city that many are unaware of.
A building at Boston’s 558 Massachusetts Ave. serves as the headquarters for the League of Women for Community Service. It is also where King lived in the 1950s while she studied at the New England Conservatory.
“The building is a living monument to history,” said League President Kalimah Redd Knight. ”The building was purchased independently in 1920.”
The League is one of the country’s longest-running Black women-led service organizations, with roots that are over a century old.
“Every single person that went through those doors understood that they were somebody,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Brown, the co-founder of Embrace Boston.
Every single person, including King.
King’s legacy and impact were honored Monday with a plaque on her 99th birthday.
“I’m so excited that one day it will be on a wall when you walk by here,” said. State Sen. Liz Miranda.
There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the League’s building. Crews are currently focusing on the exterior. Organizers say they’ve raised about $2 million for this restoration effort.
They said they need a lot more to restore the entire building.
“It’s a $7 million project. So we are actively fundraising,” Knight said.
People can donate on the League of Women for Community Service’s website.
There’s no timeline for when the building will be finished. But the goal is to once again become a safe haven where people can come together.
“I think community is a living, breathing thing and you have to work at it in order for it to come together,” Knight said.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.