UMass Chan Medical School is petitioning the City of Worcester to change the names of Plantation Street, Plantation Parkway, and Plantation Terrace because of the association between plantations and slavery.
The request was submitted to the Worcester city clerk in a document uploaded to the city’s website on Thursday.
“The word ‘plantation’ connotes oppression in our country and serves as a reminder of the painful history of slavery in America,” the request reads. “We would hope to participate in a larger community conversation regarding the appropriate course of action to find a more appropriate name.”
The petition is attributed to Che Anderson, the school’s assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations, on behalf of UMass Chan Chancellor Michael Collins.
The matter is on the agenda for Wednesday evening’s city council meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m.
All three streets are located around UMass Chan Medical School’s Worcester campus.
