A powerful new monument now stands along Boston’s Freedom Trail, honoring the lives of more than 200 enslaved people once held by members and ministers of King’s Chapel.
The 14-foot sculpture, titled Unbound, was unveiled Sunday on the church’s downtown property. Created by artist Harmonia Rosales in collaboration with MASS Design Group, the work depicts a Black woman in a flowing white dress releasing birds from a cage — a symbolic gesture of freedom and remembrance. The birds represent the 219 individuals enslaved by the church’s original congregants, a history often omitted from Boston’s colonial narrative.
During the unveiling, members of the congregation read aloud the names of those enslaved and joined in singing Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Leaders of King’s Chapel said the memorial was born out of a moral obligation to tell the truth about the city’s history. Founded in 1686 as an Anglican church, King’s Chapel today is a Unitarian congregation and one of 16 historic sites along the Freedom Trail.
The unveiling drew a large and diverse crowd, with many attendees emphasizing the importance of confronting difficult truths. Congregation members described the moment as an act of healing, while onlookers expressed appreciation for Boston’s effort to expand the Freedom Trail’s narrative beyond Revolutionary ideals of liberty.
Historians note that slavery was legal in all 13 colonies, including Massachusetts, though its role in New England has often been downplayed.
By placing Unbound on one of the nation’s most visited historic routes, King’s Chapel hopes the sculpture will challenge and deepen public understanding of America’s past.
