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See the finalists for Bussey Street’s renaming in Jamaica Plain
The street that bisects the Arnold Arboretum will be renamed because Benjamin Bussey made his fortune selling goods produced by enslaved people.
Bussey Street — a busy thoroughfare with street parking that splits Arnold Arboretum — will be renamed soon as advocates narrow down finalists that will do away with the eponym’s complicated legacy.
The street honors Benjamin Bussey, a 18th century businessman who donated a large portion of the 281-acre green space. While Harvard University researchers have yet to find evidence that he enslaved people himself, he undoubtedly made his fortune from goods like coffee and sugar produced by enslaved people. With his wealth, he purchased land in Jamaica Plain which would later become Arnold Arboretum.
Local advocates including JP Centre/South Main Streets, the Roslindale Village Main Street, and city councilors Enrique Pepén and Ben Weber are all behind the renaming. Twenty names were submitted, but five made the cut as finalists.
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The five picked all have ties to the arboretum’s land, have a meaningful connection with present day values, are from an under-represented community, accomplished something, and ideally are not recognized elsewhere in Boston, the JP Centre/South Main Street organization shared.
Community members have until April 27 to vote for their pick. There will be a community meeting April 11 to discuss the finalists, the nonprofit said.
Five finalists, in alphabetical order:
- Cuffe
- Dick Welsh
- Flora
- Margaret Fuller
- Shiu-Ying Hu
The nonprofit community organization also shared in-depth biographies of the nominees. Cuffe was a Black man who was enslaved by Rev. Nathaniel Walter, the eponym of the intersecting Walter Street in the arboretum. Cuffe was also a fairly common name for enslaved men.
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Dick Welsh was also an enslaved man born on land that is now a part of the Arnold Arboretum. The JP Centre/South Main Street organization’s biography said Welsh “was born into slavery, was sold into indentured servitude, and sought freedom.”
Flora was a woman who was enslaved by the Dudley family, who’s name was removed from Roxbury in 2019. Her biography says that while there’s not much known about Flora herself, her name could also reflect the Arboretum’s lush greenery.
Margaret Fuller was a 19th century feminist and Transcendentalist writer who lived in JP. In Cambridge, the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House is named for the foundational feminist.
Shiu-Ying Hu was a botanist who worked and studied at the Arnold Arboretum in the 1940s. She was a pioneer in her field, researching particularly holly plants to improve the well-being of Chinese people in rural poverty.
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