3 religious leaders chain themselves to Faneuil Hall demanding name change
BOSTON – With metal chains and a bike lock in hand, three Boston ministers chained themselves to the doors of Faneuil Hall, demanding the city change the name of the historical landmark with ties to slavery.
"We as clergy have agreed to risk arrest if necessary," Rev. Kevin Peterson of the New Democracy Coalition said.
The group has held a sit-in, even a hunger strike and say they're resorting to dramatic tactics to get Mayor Michelle Wu's attention.
"This iconic building bears a slave trader's name, an anti-Black symbol that burdens us," Rev. John Gibbons of Arlington Street Church in Boston said. "This place is named for Peter Faneuil. An enslaver. A slave owner and slave trader."
The popular tourist attraction was built in 1742 by merchant Peter Faneuil as a gift to the city and has since become a place for protests and speeches.
Todd Boyd, a tourist from Kentucky, doesn't think there should be a name change.
"Certainly changing the name doesn't change history. It's a chance to explain history, which may be more important than changing the name," Boyd said.
A City of Boston spokesperson stopped short of agreeing to a name change in a statement that reads in part:
"… it is critical to acknowledge and address the role of slavery in our nation's founding and the deep inequities that remain today. As we work to build an equitable Boston for everyone, the city is committed to advancing racial justice and learning from our past and right wrongs."
Neighborhood Church of Dorchester Pastor Valerie Copeland said that work the mayor mentioned should start at Faneuil Hall.
"Why is it that Peter Faneuil is a stop on the Freedom Trail," Pastor Copeland asked. "A man who owned, traded and merchandized slavery for profit? Who is it that should be recognized on the Freedom Trail?"
