The Red Sox want to be more inclusive. They want the city of Boston to get rid of Yawkey Way. In a statement released by the team on Wednesday, the Red Sox said they would like to see the city change Yawkey Way to Jersey Street, which was its original name before 1977, reports Bleacher Report. “Restoring the Jersey Street name is intended to reinforce that Fenway Park is inclusive and welcoming to all,” the statement said. Red Sox owner John Henry told the Boston Globe last August in an email that he wanted to lead an effort to change the name of the street. He said, “The street name has always been a consistent reminder that it is our job to ensure the Red Sox are not just multi-cultural, but stand for as many of the right things in our community as we can — particularly in our African-American community and in the Dominican community that has embraced us so fully.” The street is named after former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey who bought the franchise and ran it until he died in 1976. Jackie Robinson told a Chicago newspaper that the franchise’s color ban was because of Yawkey. The Red Sox were the last MLB team to integrate when they signed Pumpsie Green in 1959, a whole 12 years after Robinson’s big league debut. Fenway Park, the Red Sox’s home stadium, is located at 4 Yawkey Way.
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