"Hometown Dragon"

Mel King (1928 - 2023) was a community activist, educator, Massachusetts State Representative, and Boston’s first Black mayoral candidate to run in a general election. Born in the year of the dragon, this painting honors King and his legacy, in which he epitomizes the most fundamental traits of the Chinese dragon — strength, wisdom, leadership, protection, and health — while always centering community as his focus. Where the Tiger is the king of the earthly realm, the Dragon is the king of the heavens and the spiritual realm. I see this distinction reflected in King’s tireless organizing work, where he never settled for the status quo; he constantly pushed boundaries in his fight for civil rights, voting rights, and housing rights towards an elevated vision of equality, safety, and security — for all the residents of Boston, across race, class division, and geographical division. King was endorsed by the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) in his 1983 mayoral run, and had his Rainbow Coalition adopted by Rev. Jesse Jackson nationally in Jackson’s 1984 presidential run. 

As a nod to his truly intersectional legacy, I wanted to pair Mel King with the imagery of the Chinese dragon, holding the flaming pearl that symbolizes power, prosperity, and wisdom. With the pairing, I also wanted to pay homage to the many causes King fought for within Boston’s Chinatown: including fighting the displacement of Chinatown residents, advocating for the P&L garment workers protests, and supporting the CPA in building a Chinese Progressive Association Workers Center. Mel King was a visionary and a true leader, who believed it’s all of us or none of us.