Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPENCER GRANT/GETTY IMAGES F ront Runners Boston mayor Kevin White, pictured here with his wife, Kathryn, was a prince of peace after Dr. King's assassination in 1968. this peace advocate raised hell B 45 YEARS AGO KEVIN WHITE WAS VOTED INTO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A PLATFORM OF RACIAL TOLERANCE AND MUNICIPAL REBIRTH. BY JESSICA LANIEWSKI efore current Mayor Thomas Menino's record-setting, nearly 20-year run as our city leader, Kevin Hagan White held the honor, serving as Boston's mayor from 1968 to 1984. During some of the most turbulent years in American and Massachusetts history, White advocated for Bostonians of all races and backgrounds. In his first mayoral election in 1967, White, then the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, campaigned against Boston School Committee member Louise Day Hicks, who wanted to keep Boston schools segregated. He was widely admired by voters and defeated Hicks on November 7, 1967, with 53 percent of the vote. Continually dedicated to bettering the lives of his constituents, he often repeated the slogan, "When landlords raise rents, Kevin White raises hell." One of the biggest challenges of his mayoral career came only three months after he was sworn into office, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Unrest swept through the city, and White was faced with a crisis, as musician James Brown was set to perform at the Boston Garden the following day. White and his chief of police feared widespread riots similar to what other cities were enduring as a result of King's murder, but following advice from members of his staff and Thomas Atkins, a black city councilor from Roxbury, he refused to cancel Brown's concert. White instead implored WGBH to broadcast the performance and took to the stage ahead of the singer to persuade Bostonians to "honor Dr. King in peace." Beyond his triumph in this time of distress, White's influence was widespread; during his tenure he initiated the revitalization of the waterfront, down- town, and the Financial District, and helped make Quincy Market appealing to visitors. Boston's constant social woes during his four terms stymied his hopes of winning a higher political office, yet White continued to draw local support, winning his second term for mayor and defeating Hicks once again, this time by 40,000 votes. BC 8 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM