Updated Dec. 2, 2019.
A community petition is appealing to the city of Boston to name a new green space after Rita Hester, a local transgender woman who was murdered over 20 years ago and whose death inspired activists to start a worldwide, annual day of remembrance for transgender victims of violence.
Activists are gathering signatures to name a planned one-acre plot of green space in the Allston Yards development at 60 Everett St. after Hester, a 34-year-old black transgender woman who was stabbed to death in her Allston apartment on Nov. 28, 1998. No one was ever charged in the murder.
The idea to name the park after Hester came from Jordan Meehan, an LGBTQ activist and Allston resident.
“The lack of a permanent monument, a remembrance, is very glaring and something that I think needs to be fixed,” Meehan said. “We thought it would be best for the Allston Yards project to really give back in a more meaningful way to the community.”
One year after Hester’s death, activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith started an annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is now observed on Nov. 20 in countries around the world, to honor Hester’s life and the lives of all transgender people lost to violence every year. According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 22 transgender and gender-nonconforming people were killed in the United States so far in 2019, and the majority of victims were young women of color.
Meehan said activists are hoping to get 100 signatures for the petition by Dec. 9, which is the end of the city’s comment period for the project.
“I think our push for the next few weeks will be to try to meet with as many community members as possible,” Meehan said. “And then whenever the next Allston Yards public meeting is, to show up there and reach out to them directly.”
The decision lies with New England Development, the developer behind the project, and the Boston Planning & Development Agency.
"We appreciate these efforts to honor the life of Rita Hester, and look forward to working with the Parks Department, New England Development, and the community as the Allston Yards project moves forward,” a spokesperson from the BPDA said in a statement Monday.
According to the BPDA, if the project receives approval from the agency’s board, there will be additional conversations with the community and opportunities for public comment on what the park will actually look like.
New England Development did not respond to requests for comment.
Meehan said creating a physical monument to honor Hester’s memory would be an impactful stand against the violence faced by the transgender community.
“It's important for us to say her name, know her story and just have something to commemorate her here since this is where her murder happened,” Meehan said. “This is what sparked Transgender Day of Remembrance, and I think it's important to celebrate the progress, and to acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do.”
