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Road that bisects the Arboretum could be renamed for an enslaved woman who once lived nearby

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department, which owns the Arnold Arboretum, and Harvard University, which has 858 years left on its lease of the land, have petitioned the city Public Improvement Commission to change the name of Bussey Street to Flora Way.

Residents in both Jamaica Plain and Roslindale organized to re-name the road after somebody other than Benjamin Bussey, whose estate became the main part of the arboretum but whose sugar, coffee and cotton businesses in the early 19th century that led to the estate were based on the use of enslaved people.

According to the working group that came up with five proposed new names for the road:

Flora and two of the other five finalists were enslaved people in the 18th century who lived in the vicinity of the Arboretum landscape more than 100 years before its founding. All five names had their champions and received strong scores, but Flora had the highest rating. Flora was the clear choice of the 378 residents from the street’s contiguous neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, as well as from an additional 120 citywide and statewide respondents who submitted their input.

Flora was among four people enslaved by William Dudley, grandson of one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay colony and a resident of Roxbury, which at the time included what is now Roslindale and Jamaica Plain. After his death in 1743, Flora was listed in probate records as asset of his estate - an "old woman" valued at £40.

The group cited residents who gave reasons to honor Flora in particular:

"I chose Flora as my top pick because of how slavery hid her from having a known identity. Naming the street Flora raises her into our awareness and gives her life."

"Flora is also the most poetic and apropos for the environs of all the names."

"I chose Flora because women are so very overlooked in our history ... Plus, Flora & Arboretum go together & it rolls off the tongue in a lovely way."

"I just love Flora. I want to honor a person who was enslaved, and I want a beautiful name for the street that also celebrates the trees."

Also:

The working group has taken care not to demonize Benjamin Bussey for his role as a merchant who engaged in trade that supported and profited from slavery, as did many of his contemporaries. He was also a generous philanthropist, whose gift of the land to Harvard eventually became a large part of Arboretum, 30 years after his death. In recognition of his gift with full knowledge of his complex legacy, the Arboretum will keep his name on three prominent parts of the landscape: Bussey Hill, Bussey Brook and Bussey Brook Meadow.

Among the other people in the running for having the street renamed after them:

The community input effort was complicated by a significant number of submissions from around the country and the world, particularly from Hong Kong, that overwhelmingly supported one of the other finalist names: Dr. Shiu-ying Hu, a botanist researcher and teacher from China who worked at the Arnold Arboretum for over 30 years. The outpouring of affection for her was heartfelt, but the Arboretum has recognized her legacy in a number of ways.

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Comments

Isn’t the choice of “flora” also hiding something, or is it poetic?

P.s., history isn’t pretty, but it’s history. It reminds us of the human condition. We did that [ital] and we could again. Unless we’re reminded.

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Voting closed 22

Ummmm... but like... ughhh... what exactly do you mean by that? Could you elaborate please?

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Voting closed 40

Flora has no other meaning other than plants; it's a coincidence that the Flora mentioned here was a slave to Bussey. They would keep all of the other parts except the road (which makes sense if you think about it).

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Voting closed 26

From the working group:

Many commented on the importance of providing context to the name of the person so that she does not get lost in the association of ‘Flora’ with the Arboretum. To that end, the working group is committed to ensuring there is ongoing community education about the new street name.

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Voting closed 42

That is good.

I admit I have mixed feelings about “the changes.” “The great severing.” My initial reaction is to question changes. As righteous and good as the changes may be I caution against groupthink and I wonder if the process is organic. (Maybe it (progress) cannot be organic.)

As I was reading I was hoping it would be the main character in ‘Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” which opened my eyes to the household economics/reality and the insidious clutches and torment of slavery. If (did?) her owners knew she was hiding right there all those years in near isolation, then that would have been horrific cruelty (?). I didn’t see an allusion to their knowing, but wondered how could they not. The years in the attic was horrific to contemplate.

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Voting closed 23

08162024, 18:03

My heart comes around eventually.

I know that when we honor someone, or something we are inevitably honoring ourselves. And, politicians (and others) honor themselves and profit par excellence. So, eventually I may come around to embrace the (progressive?) ends, I continue to question the means as we all should. (For those trampled under foot, the means are the end.)

Take ‘The Embrace’ for example. I selfishly wanted a larger than life statue of the beautiful Reverend Martin Luther King to stand in equality with General and President George Washington, but what we got was a blob of questionable artistry that is a monument to the artist’s vision and talent that would offend no one and include everyone. Even a classical statue honors the artist, but only to the extent it honors the subject. I imagine the Reverend would prefer ‘The Embrace’ as a testament to his work and our evolution and growth, but I question. I question.

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Voting closed 18

And to quote Paul Harvey, "Now (I) know the rest of the story."

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Voting closed 26

William Dudley, son of Gov. Thomas and brother of Gov. Joseph, enslaved Flora and at least three others on his farm in what became Roslindale, which once covered area between Walter and Centre Streets today. William Dudley was a military leader and a legislator who died in 1743.

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Voting closed 21

Do that again?
We’re still doing it, in this country and others.

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Voting closed 29

Sure, but close it down to car traffic. Parks shouldn’t have streets going through them.

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Voting closed 41

When the Arboretum was a farm. It’s how people, you know got around.

If you want your landscape to look like Lincoln or Dover, just move back home with your parents you rich brat.

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Voting closed 32

By that "logic", we should restrict all major roads in Boston to non-motorized travel only. Because that's how people got around when they were built.

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Voting closed 30

93, the Pike, 1A, McGrath / O'Brien, Mystic Valley Parkway, Morrissey Boulevard, Old Colony Boulevard, VFW Parkway, Day Boulevard, are all major roads which were built after the debut of the car.

I guess you don't understand what logic or timelines is Trashy McTrash Trash.

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Voting closed 19

I self describe as "trailer trash". Unlike you, I'm proud of how I was able to leverage certain forms of privilege using the brains I was born with and then-affordable student loans to pull myself up. Then again, I went to a non-exam school and still got into MIT. But I also think it is pretty cool how many of the kids I grew up with ended up owning businesses, buying houses, raising families in better conditions than they grew up in.

Unlike you, I'm not ashamed of not having been born a Kennedy and don't try to compensate by driving everywhere just so everyone can see my heavily mortgaged car!

Lace curtains just collect air pollution - you'll have to have your maid see to that.

p.s. Roads inside the city were largely laid out well before cars, including those "farm lanes" you started with above. Few of the roads you just brought up are even in the area in question - most are on former tidelands! So much for your "logic and timelines", LOL.

Was it Boylston, Huntington or Comm. Ave that was initially designed with bike lanes? I know at least one of them considered cyclists - but not motorists - as part of their original design.

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Voting closed 18