As tourists gawped, Rev. Kevin Peterson, representing the New Democracy Coalition and the Boston Reparations Commission, exposed the true legacy of Peter Faneuil, the hall’s namesake. A prominent Boston merchant, Faneuil acquired his fortune — and his reputation for “philanthropy” — by trafficking enslaved human beings. Peterson demanded reparations for generations of enslavement and racialized terror.

In defiance of racist reaction, Peterson urged belief in the power and possibility of liberation, saying: “As much as we’re protesting and as much as we’re angry and passionate — and we should be — we should also look towards hope, because there are still opportunities to win. […] Keep hope alive!”

The march ended at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, where protesters toppled a statue of Columbus on June 10, 2020. Although the City of Boston never restored the statue, it allowed reactionary Italians to maintain the inscribed pedestal in his honor. Pierite demanded the immediate removal of this monument, which exemplifies the fascism resurgent today.

To close the action, Chal’Inaru Dones (Taíno) read a statement of solidarity from the United Confederation of Taíno People. “We are living in a time when intolerance, racism and xenophobia are being normalized at the highest levels,” the statement declared. “While this is disheartening, we cannot give up our resistance to these forms of oppression. […]

“United we are stronger. I invite you all to keep supporting the rights of Indigenous peoples and speak out against all forms of oppression. We are the ones we have been waiting for!”