On a weekend, crowds usually gather outside Faneuil Hall to see street performers twirling batons and doing magic tricks. Audiences saw a much different performance Saturday: a slave auction reenactment designed to replicate the history our city doesn’t like to think about. Men and women stood in chains, one even barefoot.
The bustling marketplace is a popular tourist destination and a popular spot to grab a cannoli. Most of us probably don’t know much about its name — other than that it’s hard to pronounce — but the building is named after Peter Faneuil, a colonial slave owner who participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Rally organizers are calling for Mayor Martin Walsh and the Boston City Council to hold a hearing about changing the name — something that should have happened long ago.
Walsh responded saying that he would rather recognize the building’s history than change the name, according to The Boston Globe. He said the building has “become a place where good things have happened.”
For many of us whose ancestors weren’t affected by slavery, it’s easy to forget that slavery was a reality in Boston. It’s easy to choose to ignore an obvious connection to our city’s racist past because it’s more comfortable for us to stick with the status quo, hiding behind the idea of honoring history.
Even if the meaning of the building has changed, the meaning behind the name hasn’t. There are better ways to remember our history than honoring a slave trader.
It’s not like Faneuil was a George Washington or a Thomas Jefferson. People aren’t learning about the history of slavery in Boston any more now than they would be if we weren’t memorializing a slave owner with one of our major tourist traps. Saying so is an excuse to delay change.
And even if keeping the same name did have a significant impact on educating people about Boston’s history, prioritizing that would be prioritizing the education of people who have not been impacted by the history of slavery, above the comfort of black people, to live in a city that doesn’t promote and celebrate the names of people who have historically profited from their oppression.
If Boston wants to change its racist reputation, the first step is to no longer associate ourselves with slave owners of our past. And if Walsh wants to prove that he really cares about addressing issues impacting Boston’s black community, he can start here.
If Boston isn’t willing to take the basic step of changing the name on a building, how can we know City leaders are serious about addressing issues like unequal pay and disparities in education and health care?
After the name of Yawkey Way was changed in recognition of racist behavior from former Red Sox owner Thomas Yawkey, some argued the City was erasing its history. People feared that if we began to change individual names, soon every aspect of Boston’s history would be wiped away.
But is Boston’s slave-owning history really a history we want to put on display? Is this really something we’re proud of?
We can make new history by changing Faneuil Hall’s name, and for those who worry that this is an erasure of our past, we can commemorate Faneuil by providing a plaque or exhibit inside the hall with an explanation of why the name was changed.
There’s a difference between erasing history and no longer shutting our eyes to the ways we ignore racism. We can preserve our history through museums and textbooks, but we don’t need to pretend that Faneuil Hall is either of those things. The city doesn’t need to be frozen in time because people are still making excuses for slave traders.
Great article !