Council honors Solomon Northup exhibit, passes resolution recognizing “Hope Out of Darkness” installation

The Boston City Council adopted a resolution Wednesday recognizing Hope Out of Darkness, an art installation commemorating Solomon Northup that is temporarily on display along the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Councilor Ricardo P. (name as recorded in the transcript: Weber), sponsor of the resolution, said the exhibit recalls Boston’s role in the abolitionist movement and urged residents to see the display. “Today’s a time where we must embrace, not erase the full history of slavery, dispossession, and systemic injustice upon which this country was built,” Councilor Weber said while introducing the exhibit and resolution.

Melissa Howell, introduced in the chamber as a direct descendant of Solomon Northup, told the council that Boston played a central role in the abolitionist conversation and that the city’s recognition affirms a legacy of conscience and remembrance. “By acknowledging this connection, the city of Boston honors not only the man, but the moral community that believed in the power of words to transform a nation,” Howell said.

Jean Luc Pirit, representing the North American Indian Center of Boston and a Tunica‑Biloxi tribal citizen, described the exhibit’s eventual permanent home and thanked the Greenway Conservancy and partner organizations for bringing the sculpture to Boston.

Councilor Weber’s resolution (Docket 1856) was adopted by suspension of the rules; councilors joined exhibit organizers and descendants for a photo in the chamber before the vote. The council encouraged residents to visit the temporary installation, which will remain on the Greenway through December before moving to a long‑term site.