BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Day one of the Embrace Ideas Festival in Boston kicked off on Monday at the Omni Parker House, featuring 13-year-old Yolanda Renee King, the granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday's discussions focused on confronting misinformation, demanding justice, and providing a platform for new voices, and were just the beginning of a five-day-long celebration of Juneteenth in Boston.
"A lot of this work is a miracle— it's a lot of work, so you can't just drop out. It's very rare that we can get something done in just one week, you have to stay with it," King said at the event. Festival officials said King's speech comes at "a time when the ballot is being undermined and technology is being weaponized to distort the truth."
Read More: Residents Protest North Shore Birth Center Closure At Beverly Hospital
Other speakers at the Embrace Ideas Festival included President/CEO of the Boston Foundation Dr. Lee Pelton, best-selling Author Heather McGhee, and Director of Community Engaged Research at King Boston Dr. April Khadijah Inniss, to name a few.
The local, state, and national leaders gathered for the week to celebrate Juneteenth, amplify anti-racism and a vision for a transformed Boston.
"Sometimes I'll hesitate and have a question, and then it's almost as though the answer is in my grandfather's sermon," King said.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App