September 15, 2025
In the reclamation of its own history, King’s Chapel will shine a light on Boston’s place in slavery.
The first monument recognizing Boston’s connection to slavery will finally see the light of day.
King’s Chapel on Tremont Street will host the historic monument. The area is one of the historic sites on Boston’s Freedom Trail, which highlights the city’s role in early American history.
The city’s darker past with slavery, however, previously remained lost on the trail. According to WGBH, King’s Chapel will address its whole history with a memorial statue. Founded in 1686, the church was the first Anglican church in the New England region.
Unbeknownst to many, the ministers and members of the church enslaved 219 people during its early history. Now, King’s Chapel will recognize those who helped establish the church through a 14-foot-tall statue of a Black woman. The statue will feature the woman releasing six birds from a cage, symbolizing their freedom.
Advocates for the statue say its establishment will mark Black people’s history in Boston. While it represents a darker side of the city’s history, it remains important to showcase and remember. A special Sunday Service will accompany its unveiling Sept. 14, complete with musical performances and a reading of all 219 names.
“One of the things that really excites me about this memorial is the fact that it is on the Freedom Trail and that there will be this humongous, large Black woman at one of the busiest corners in Boston that people will have to walk by and see,” said Roeshana Moore-Evans, the strategic advisor for the church’s committee that has overseen the memorial project. “They’ll want to know more.”
The statue’s conception comes from the church’s own reckoning with its history. Beginning in 2017, the church embarked on a mission to identify the enslaved people associated with its founding. Its efforts shine a light on Boston’s lesser-recognized part in American slavery, with current leaders also emphasizing its ties.
“I felt, because we’re on the Freedom Trail, we had a special moral obligation…a moral obligation to tell the truth,” explained Rev. Joy Fallon, the church’s senior minister.
Artist Harmonia Rosales designed the statue. She worked in partnership with MASS Design Group, which developed another statue dedicated to Black existence in Boston, the Embrace Statue, depicting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Rosales hopes the statue showcases how King’s Chapel, with its achievements and flaws, represents this country.
“King’s Chapel broadly reflects the foundation and contradictions of America as a whole,” Rosales said.
Tours will now have another way to discuss Boston’s diverse and racially resonant history. Especially at the time of anti-DEI legislation and policies, this move champions the opposite, allowing for greater visibility for Black American life in Boston.
“I wanted people to stop in awe, not just stop in curiosity, but see her beauty in complete natural form,” added Rosales. “I want people to have a sense of just being seen.”
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