Speakers

In June 2020, Imari Paris Jeffries was named Executive Director of King Boston. King Boston is a privately funded non-profit working closely with the City of Boston to create a living memorial and programs honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King and their time and work together in Boston. The memorial is intended to inspire visitors to reflect on the values of social justice that both espoused, prompting each of us to consider how we can contribute to realizing an equitable and fair society.

Paris Jeffries brings a wealth of experience from the nonprofit management, racial equity, community activism, education reform, and social justice sectors, and has served in executive roles at Parenting Journey, Jumpstart, Boston Rising, and Friends of The Children. He serves as a Trustee of the UMass System and on the boards of United South End Settlement Houses, MA Budget and Policy Center, and Governor Baker’s Black Advisory Commission. Imari most recently was the Executive Director of Parenting Journey. Previously he served as Chief Executive Officer of the Italian Home for Children, Chief Operating Officer of Jumpstart for Young Children’s Inc., as interim CEO of Boston Rising, and as Executive Director of Friends of the Children-Boston. Imari has extensive professional experience in public, national, and nonprofit leadership. He committed to equity and justice and has supplemented his work with volunteer service on boards. These have included Jumpstart, the African American Federation of Greater Boston, Save the Harbor, Save the Bay, the Elizabeth Peabody House, the Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership, the Edward Brooke Charter School, The Providers Council, and Third Sector New England. Imari is a three-time graduate of UMass Boston and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. through UMass Boston’s Higher Education Program. He earned his BA in 1997, MEd in 1999, and his MA in 2003 from the University of Massachusetts. A veteran, Imari served from 1991-1996. He currently lives in Hyde Park with his family.

Jim McAllister has been lecturing, writing, teaching, and conducting tours about Salem and the North Shore since 1983. He is the author of one book and co-author of another related to Salem history and for 13 years wrote a weekly history column in the Salem News. His photographs of Salem have been published in magazines, books, promotional materials and on highway billboards. Jim has appeared on National Public Radio (NPR), the History Channel, "Chronicle" and other radio and television venues. The long-time Salem resident (1972) was the winner of the Essex National Heritage Commission's first ever "Heritage Hero Award" and in 2015 was named Salem's Official Historian by Mayor Kimberley Driscoll