Boston’s Yawkey Way gets new name over allegations of racist origin

A Boston city commission voted unanimously on Thursday to change the name of Yawkey Way, fulfilling the request of the Red Sox owners who pushed to rename the street in front of Fenway Park. 

The street, named for former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, will be changed back to its original moniker, Jersey Street, The Boston Globe reported. 

Yawkey, who owned the team from 1933 until his death in 1976, has faced allegations of racism stemming from the fact that he fielded all-white teams even after black players joined the league.

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The Red Sox Organization requested that the city change the name of the street in an effort to distance itself from the racism allegations against Yawkey.

The Yawkey Foundation, the charitable organization that the former Red Sox owner founded, expressed disappointment in the decision to rename the street, saying that doing so will permanently tarnish his legacy. 

“The drastic step of renaming the street, now officially sanctioned by the City of Boston … will unfortunately give lasting credence to that narrative and unfairly tarnish his name, despite his unparalleled record of transforming the Red Sox and Fenway Park and supporting the city he loved through his philanthropy,” the foundation said in a statement.