Prince Hall recognized for his service to equality and freedom

Dave Hadden

Not much is known these days about Prince Hall, but all of that is expected to change soon.

Earlier this month, the Cambridge City Council unanimously approved construction of a monument to honor Hall.

“It’s about time a municipality had enough foresight and just plain gumption to recognize the greatness of this man, Prince Hall,” offered Ray Coleman, Grand Historian of the local African Lodge 459, at the city council meeting.

Prince Hall’s achievements speak for themselves. Hall is considered to be the father of black freemasonry in the United States. The local 459 lodge, located in Dorchester where he served as the first Grandmaster, is the first of its kind. It was then renamed in his honor after his death in 1807. Amongst other groups of black freemasons, it is known as the ‘mother lodge,’ and over 4,500 of these lodges worldwide have been established since its inception.

Hall was also among the first soldiers of the continental army. When George Washington traveled to Boston to take charge of colonial forces during the Revolutionary War, Hall met with him to plead for more blacks to be allowed in the army. And while no documentation exists, it is believed that Hall fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Hall is also considered the first civil rights activist and black community organizer in America. Prior to freemasonry, northern blacks lacked political organizations in which to help shape their own communities. Through freemasonry, Hall’s efforts provided loans and drives for food and firewood, along with construction of black churches.

More importantly, after years of petitioning the city of Boston to charter separate schools for black children, his ambition led him to establish a private one out of his home in Cambridge in 1798.

When considering these accomplishments within the context of Boston’s rich history, it is bittersweet that this resolution was passed, yet somewhat disconcerting that official recognition escaped Hall for nearly two centuries.

Coleman attributes this to a lack of historical documents, journals and memoirs. Other than two speeches and a few letters, not much documentation exists of his personal records.

As a result, many are left to believe that the Civil Rights movement started in the 1950s when in fact, the struggle for equal rights started almost as soon as slaves arrived in America.

“While the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King are obvious in their significance… we need to pay more attention to those who aren’t in history books,” said Denise Simmons, the Cambridge City Councilor who led the political effort to commemorate Hall.

His monument will stand among other important Boston figures in African American history, including those of Crispus Attucks, Robert Gould Shaw, William Lloyd Garrison, and Asa Phillip Randolph.

In the coming weeks, a commission composed of residents, artists and city council members will be meeting to discuss what the monument will look like. While an exact location has not yet been agreed upon, the monument will be erected near Cambridge City Common.

What sets Hall apart is that his efforts, despite occurring over two centuries ago, are still impacting African American communities through the work of the local 459. The chapter consistently takes part in community service projects that include both scholarships and blood drives.

Like Hall, however, the lodge’s efforts are not widely known. “For the most part, we haven’t sought much recognition for our community service, but we are entering a new phase and this is the beginning. We’d like to raise awareness of Hall and his achievements through the dedication of more streets and buildings in his name across the country.”

For the masons, this look to the past certainly is intended to affect the future, and Simmons agrees. “My hope is that this monument will inspire curiosity, dialogue, and inspiration — not just for blacks, but for everyone.”