In August 2019, the City of Salem, MA named its newest park after abolitionist and educator Charlotte Forten. 

In 1856, Forten was the first African American to graduate from Salem State University, then called the Salem Normal School. A more comprehensive biography of Forten’s life can be found at https://www.salemstate.edu/charlotte-forten

The naming decision was undertaken after a citywide poll where Salem residents overwhelmingly decided to honor Forten, and the name will be voted on by the Salem City Council in September 2019.

The new park is beautiful, but would be even more beautiful with a statue of the icon of Salem history whose legacy it honors. It is our hope, as citizens of Salem, to present the city council with proof of our desire for such a statue to be erected in Charlotte Forten Park with this petition. 

Statues that honor Salem residents currently depict exclusively white men; the most prominent statues of women in Salem are currently the fictional character Samantha Stevens and the Ladies of Salem public art project. And of course, statues commemorating Americans of color are still vanishingly rare; for example, Philadelphia erected its first ever statue commemorating a Black American woman in July 2019. 

By erecting a statue of Charlotte Forten, Salem has an opportunity to adorn its newest beautiful park, honor the legacy of abolition and civil rights that Forten and other Salemites have built, and be on the right side of history with regard to building appreciation and commemoration of the contributions of Black Americans into our public art.