This week on Boston Public Radio, hosts welcomed two powerhouse voices in the fight for justice and remembrance: Imari Paris Jeffries, Executive Director of Embrace Boston, and Jeneé Osterheldt, Boston Globe culture columnist. Together, they co-chair Everyone250, a major initiative planning Boston’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
In their conversation, Paris Jeffries and Osterheldt reflected on the deeper meaning behind the 60th Anniversary of the 1965 Freedom Rally, taking place this Saturday, April 26. The rally will honor the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood with Boston legends like Ruth Batson and Rev. Virgil Wood before a crowd of 20,000 on Boston Common to demand racial justice in housing and education.
They also discussed how Everyone250 is working to make the U.S. Semiquincentennial more inclusive—centering communities often left out of our national narrative while uplifting moments where Boston has led the way in democracy, activism, and transformation.
This isn’t just about history—it’s about moving forward together. As Osterheldt said, “We’re not just remembering, we’re reigniting.”
To learn more about the 60th Freedom Rally and upcoming Everyone250 events, visit EmbraceBoston.org or Everyone250.org.