December 27 event honored Mel King's legacy and recognized young activist Harrison Clark
The South End Brunch Club closed out a successful inaugural year on December 27 with its fifth Mel King Monthly Brunch at Piano Craft Gallery, 793 Tremont Street.
The brunch celebrated Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), the second principle of Kwanzaa, and presented the organization's third Mel King Leadership Award to Harrison Clark, a UMass student and civic activist who has spoken nationally on health equity and reparations.
The monthly brunches honor the late Mel King, the Boston civil rights activist, organizer, poet, politician, and university professor who passed away in 2023. For over fifty years, King opened his home for Sunday brunches that welcomed the entire community—a tradition the South End Brunch Club was founded to continue.
"The Mel King Brunch is about amplifying the important work of culture bearing by purposefully engaging with the community to share resources and close intergenerational gaps," said Heather Cook, founder and CEO of TSEBC.
All five brunches in 2025 reached capacity. In November, instead of hosting a brunch, the organization provided a Turkey Feast Giveaway for 150 families and 100 holiday meals to elders. TSEBC also hosted a BARZ Women's Empowerment Brunch and sponsored a second holiday meal giveaway with partners including the Caribbean Foundation of Boston and Urban Community Home Health Aide services.
Looking ahead to 2026, the South End Brunch Club has partnered with Boston Neighborhood Network to produce "The Mel King Blueprint," a monthly one-hour community news and interview program premiering in February.
"It is an honor to see so many in our community gather in the spirit that Mel King established with his Sunday Brunch," said Edwin Sumpter, chief operations officer of TSEBC. "We are extending his Blueprint for community service through our Mel King Brunch and other endeavors in our Beloved Community."
Bless Robinson, chief creative officer, added: "For the past seven months, I have walked as a universal activist in service to my community and the experience has been both deeply humbling and profoundly gratifying."
The South End Brunch Club has received support from the Mel King family, Boston City Councilors Ed Flynn and Julia Mejia, former Councilor Frank Baker, and numerous local businesses and community organizations including Starbucks Back Bay, Lambert's Supermarket, Hummingbird Jamaican Cuisine, and Boston Neighborhood Network.