In the wake of Nubian Square name change, a looming decision

By Jordan Erb for The Boston Globe

A mural depicting neighborhood history carries the Dudley name. LANE TURNER/GLOBE STAFF

Last November, in what was seen by many residents as a significant victory, Roxbury-area voters elected to rename Dudley Square as Nubian Square, a switch that would rid the area of its controversial moniker while also paying homage to Africa’s Nubian Empire.

In the weeks following the vote, things moved swiftly.

By mid-December, the name change had become official, and by early January, Google Maps had been updated to reflect the new designation.

But for all its speed and potential social impact, the square’s rebranding has left a number of Roxbury businesses and organizations grappling with the question of how, exactly, to proceed.

Throughout the neighborhood, which features a large Black population, the square’s former name remains ubiquitous. There are local mainstays such as Dudley Cafe and Dudley Square Main Streets, as well as Dudley Square Cleaning and Jewelers. There is Black Market Dudley, and, until recently, the Dudley Square Grille. And this is to say nothing of city-operated sites like the Dudley branch of the Boston Public Library and the neighborhood MBTA station, both of which still bear the Dudley name.

The change, in other words, has presented a tough dilemma for local business owners: Devote significant time and energy to a potentially costly rebrand — or maintain ties to Massachusetts colonial governor Thomas Dudley, a man with purported ties to slavery.

For some, including Black Market Dudley — a pop-up retail and event space — the decision to rebrand has been an easy one.

More than just a formality, the market’s recent switch to Black Market Nubian, says owner Kai Grant, symbolizes a call to action, the first step in a cultural and economic revolution.

“In essence, this name change is an opportunity for something good to move us forward for posterity’s sake,” she said. “For the sake of our kids, and our kids’ kids, and giving them an economic platform so they can actually afford to stay in their own community.”

“We typically don’t get the type of respect that I believe our community deserves,” she added. “There are residents here, and business owners, and folks who really want change. They need to see it, because it is a struggling district. Period.”

Others in the area, however, are still working to determine their next steps.

Haris Hardaway, board president of Dudley Square Main Streets, said the nonprofit hasn’t yet discussed the possibility of changing its name to reflect the recent vote. At the moment, Hardaway said, the organization’s primary focus is replacing its former executive director, who retired in December.

Still, a switch isn’t always easy.

In addition to the obvious changes — signage, marketing materials — there are a slew of other logistics to consider: the company websites, e-mail addresses and social media handles, business documents, and payment accounts.

Dudley Cafe, a neighborhood cornerstone, is facing financial and legal barriers to changing the name, said general manager Jebin Tuladhar. Updating its business registration and licenses could prove time-consuming and costly.

“That’s the main concern the owner has, is how much money will be required to get all the legal entities changed with the name,” Tuladhar said.

“As time goes, [the owner] will be changing the name. But he just doesn’t see it happening right away."

(In the meantime, the restaurant will be introducing a vegan, Impossible-Burger-style sandwich on Monday called the Nubian Square.)

If there’s an incentive for local businesses and organizations to initiate a rebranding, it’s that the city has vowed to aid in the process.

Small-business owners using “Dudley” in branding can make the switch to “Nubian” with technical assistance and design support from the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and its Small Business Unit.

Through federal community development block grants, businesses within the Dudley Square Main Streets district are eligible to have their building’s signage replaced for free. A designer is also available to revamp visual merchandising — such as menus or business cards — free of charge, though the business would have to pay to have the new items printed.

Sadiki Kambon, chairman of Nubian Square Coalition, which led the charge on changing the square’s name, hopes city assistance might be the push that local businesses and organizations need to follow the lead of other businesses that have already carried out a rebrand.

“We would hope that they would want to come on board, particularly now that they can get some assistance,” Kambon said.

Like Grant, Kambon hopes that the square’s name change is just a starting point.

He and other activists said they would like to see the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library renamed to reflect last November’s vote. Same with the MBTA’s Dudley Station.

Over the weekend, a spokesman for the MBTA said the station’s name will be changed. In the weeks and months to come, the MBTA will begin updating its website, station signage, maps and schedules.

The Boston Public Library’s board of trustees is responsible for naming the library’s spaces and branches, according to a library spokeswoman, who said no decision has been made regarding the Dudley Branch.

“We’ve made it very clear that our work is not done,” Kambon said. “With all the development that’s going on with gentrification, we, as a community, need to stay on top of this process to make sure it works for us, not against us.”

What Grant envisions, more than just a new name, is for the community to come together to create a plan for the creative and economic revival of Nubian Square.

In the coming months, Black Market Nubian will host a series of round tables, similar to one held in January, entitled “Nubian Square: What Now?” The market will also hold classes to educate the community about the Nubian empire and what, exactly, it means to use that name.

More than anything, Grant said, the name change needs to be followed by a quality-of-life boost for residents, as well as a creative and economic invigoration to the area.

“If the quality of life of the indigenous population and residents doesn’t change,” she said, “and there’s no economic movement of the needle, then what good is a name change?”

This story was produced in collaboration with the Northeastern University School of Journalism.