BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston’s King’s Chapel is addressing its history with slavery with a new statue to honor the lives impacted.
King’s Chapel has unveiled “Unbound,” which was created by artist Harmonia Rosales to memorialize the 219 men, women, and children enslaved by past members and ministers of the congregation. The 14-foot sculpture depicts a Black woman releasing birds from a cage.
The Chapel said engaging in the painful parts of our past is already transforming the way we understand our history and move forward together. Johnny, a passerby, said he agreed.
“You don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been, so it’s important not to hide certain things. It’s more [important to] educate people and learn from it and be progressive,” said Johnny.
Sam, an admirer of the statue, said she thinks it’s right to acknowledge the wrong.
“Hopefully it makes other people that follow the church follow their first step of acknowledging their wrong and going back and making things right,” said Sam.
King's Chapel said the statue is just one part of its Memorial to Enslaved Persons. They have started working on creating a living memorial fund to give to community partners who are doing "reconciliation and restorative justice work."
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.