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Why We Should Not Turn The Lights Out On Democracy In Boston
By Kevin C. Peterson
Recently, a coterie of seven concerned black activists in Boston received an unsettling lesson at one of the city’s Council meetings.
Question: What was the lesson the Boston Seven learned from the elected body? Answer: Boston is civically separate and unequal when it comes to black life.
Seeking to garner the support of Boston City Councilors on changing the name of Faneuil Hall — a well-known downtown tourist landmark linked to chattel slavey — Boston protesters instead were rebuffed for their perceived political effrontery. One councillor referred to members of the group as “embarrassing.” See the tape here.
Faneuil Hall is named after a slave trader and widely considered as a white supremacist. At Faneuil Hall slaves were sold into physical misery and into what Harvard University sociologist Orlando Patterson has called “social death.” Given this, the protesters believe that Faneuil Hall — an iconic civic space — can serve as metaphor around which deep dialogue on race can be discussed in Boston. They feel that by changing the name of Faneuil Hall a process can be undertaken that interrogates the roots of racism in the city. Such interrogations can lead to racial healing and reconciliation over time.
