Boston Renames Hyde Park Bridge for Grimke Sisters After $4 Million Rebuild

Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6106 · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Boston dedicated the $4 million Grimke Sisters Bridge in Hyde Park on Tuesday, renaming the rebuilt Dana Bridge in honor of 19th-century abolitionist sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimke, who once lived less than a mile from the site. Mayor Marty Walsh presided over the ceremony alongside City Councilor Tim McCarthy, who said he first proposed the Grimke name after learning of the sisters at the Hyde Park Historical Society, and credited Department of Public Works engineer Parra J. Singh with completing the full bridge replacement in a single summer by closing on Memorial Day and reopening on Labor Day.

Tania Del Rio, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement, cited behavioral research showing that visible representation of women in public space measurably changes outcomes for girls, arguing the bridge is "not a little screensaver." Barbara Lee of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation noted that fewer than 10 percent of U.S. public monuments are named for women and called the new Boston City Council — a majority women and majority people of color, both described as firsts — evidence that the Grimkes' work continues.

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Source: the Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6106 meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.