Friends Program: Imari Paris Jeffries, “Embrace Boston”

In a special Feb. 4 Black History Month talk at the Needham Free Public Library, Imari Paris Jeffries, Ph.D. president and chief executive officer of Embrace Boston, will discuss the 20-foot-high bronze sculpture that was dedicated on Boston Common in January 2023 to celebrate the love and partnership between Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King, Jr.Dr. Paris Jeffries will describe how Embrace Boston worked with artist Hank Willis Thomas, MASS Design Group, the Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, and the community to conceive, design and build the memorial. The sculpture depicts the Kings’ arms in an embrace captured in a 1964 photo when Martin Luther King learned he had received the Nobel Peace Prize for his civil rights advocacy. Like most modern memorials, the King sculpture has received a wide range of response from the public, from those who find it a powerful tribute to the Kings’ relationship – which began during their student years in Boston – to those who find the arms a bit too abstract. Dr. Paris Jeffries will also discuss Embrace Boston’s ongoing work toward creating a more equitable Boston through arts, culture, research and policy.

Dr. Paris Jeffries was named executive director of King Boston, Embrace Boston’s predecessor organization, in 2020 where he is now leading a citywide racial equity transformation through the Embrace Memorial, the Center for Economic Justice, and community organizing efforts. In addition to leading Embrace Boston, he currently serves as senior advisor to the president of the Boston Foundation. He brings a wealth of experience from the nonprofit management, racial equity, community activism, education reform, and social justice sectors and has held executive leadership and volunteer roles at numerous Boston non-profits. An Army veteran, he is a trustee of the University of Massachusetts system and earned four degrees from UMass Boston, including a doctoral degree. He lives in Hyde Park with his family..        

Registration is required, as we have a current capacity limit of 100.