Boston’s “Faneuil Hall” may soon be “Frederick Douglass Hall” due to “racist history”

It looks like the iconic Faneuil Hall may be getting a new name after Boston City Council voted in favor of a change. They passed a resolution on October 25th to change the name of Faneuil Hall, in a 10-3 vote.

The city council does not possess the power itself to change the name, but they hope to “begin a process of addressing anti-Black racist symbols prevalent in Boston”.

In the resolution they noted, “Changing the name of Faneuil Hall to the name of a true freedom fighter such as Crispus Attucks, Elizabeth Freeman, or Frederick Douglas, facilitates the flourishing of democracy and educates the local and national public about how we should best use our public spaces and memorials”.

The Boston City Council is considering this a “public apology” process that is acknowledging the City of Boston’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.