On behalf of Old South Church in Boston, we applaud the congregation and leaders of King’s Chapel for their courageous and important work described in the Globe’s recent article, “King’s Chapel honors 200-plus enslaved people with links to site” (Page A1, June 19). We greatly admire Harmonia Rosales’s brilliant design for the exterior and interior of the church, and embrace the King’s Chapel community’s commitment to Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a Beloved Community.
Old South Church has also recognized our responsibility to come to terms with our own history. In 2019, Old South commissioned a work of art: a memorial tree, now a prominent feature within our chapel, for the 73 men and women enslaved by members of our church. Each spring, here at the church of Ben Franklin and Samuel Adams, we celebrate Phillis Wheatley Sunday in honor of this nation’s first published Black poet, baptized at Old South while enslaved but later a free woman; last year we renamed our gallery/meeting room after her — the unofficial poet laureate of the American Revolution.
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We commend the work of our neighbor churches and other institutions, in Boston and beyond, that have undertaken the solemn but urgent work of reclaiming the untold parts of our history in order to honor, at long last, those who were so dishonored by the unjust systems and attitudes of previous generations.
Rick Spalding, interim senior pastor
Kate Silfen, historian
Rob Gabler, clerk
