MLQ is pleased to reintroduce the Boston MLQ franchise as Boston Forge, better representing the city’s diverse, hardworking population and the special Bostonian ability to craft something new and beautiful out of difficult conditions.
The word forge means “to form (something, such as metal) by heating and hammering” in metalsmithing professions; but it also means “to form or bring into being – especially by an expenditure of effort”, “to move forward slowly and steadily” and “to create new conditions.” With these secondary definitions especially in mind, MLQ has selected the symbolism of a smith to represent the Boston franchise.
The city of Boston also has a notable history in metalsmithing, particularly in the field of silversmithing. Museums around the world feature items made by Boston colonial silversmiths such as the Edwards, the Burts and Jeremiah Dummer. Some examples of Boston silver work include the Art Institute of Chicago’s Whistle and Bells with Coral by Thomas Edwards, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Teapot by Nathaniel Hurd and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Pepper Caster by John Burt. Aside from Boston’s renowned colonial silversmiths, the city and its surrounding area have been a leader in the production of silver goods from the 18th century to the 21st century. Many household names in American silver from the 1800s and 1900s did their manufacturing in Massachusetts. Lunt Silversmiths, Wallace, International Silver, Reed & Barton and Gorham Company were all founded in Massachusetts. Today, many brands are still headquartered in New England, where they still design silverware and silver products, though most manufacturing has moved overseas. Notably, there is also a strong community of small artisanal Massachusetts smiths (from blacksmiths to silversmiths) that continue to craft products by hand.
Many vestiges of this past can still be found throughout the greater Boston area, from geographical landmarks like Saugus Iron Works Park to the booming tourist attractions of blacksmith classes at Old Sturbridge Village.
Additionally, because Boston is one of America’s oldest cities, metalsmiths of all kinds have been operating in the city from colonial times all the way through today. With schools like the Classical Blacksmithing School of Boston, and many individual shops teaching the trade, metalsmithing remains one of Boston’s many long-lived professional trades. The MBTA even employs several blacksmiths and local silver artisan Chloe Darke was featured in the PBS docu-series Craft in America.
The choice of an androgynous figure is to represent smiths of all genders, past and present. Although often overlooked, female smiths have a long and storied history in both the United States and Europe. Since the middle ages, women would work alongside their husbands and children in the smithy and, sometimes, they would even inherit the family practice. It is only recently that metalsmithing has come to be understood as a primarily male trade. In Boston in particular, some notable historical female silversmiths include: Katherine Pratt, Gertrude Twichel and Elizabeth E. Copeland. Over the past few decades, there has also been a reclamation of the metalsmithing trades by women and other marginalized genders.
The plan to rename Boston’s MLQ franchise was announced last July following community feedback about the harmful racist connotations of the previous name as the Boston Night Riders. Although MLQ originally intended to reference Paul Revere’s midnight ride with the name, the term “night rider” was in existence prior to the MLQ brand. The other usage of night ride references tactics used by KKK members and white supremacists, who committed crimes against Black people across the US at night and controlled former slaves during the American Reconstruction. Night rides were used by white people to temper and stamp out any hope of freedom and equality for Black individuals.
MLQ recognizes the harmful ramifications that American slavery caused—and continues to cause through historical repercussions—for all Black Americans. To use the phrase Night Riders as a team name was wrong. Not only was it insensitive, the oversight was harmful to many of our stakeholders, including our athletes. We recognize that it has been particularly hurtful to Black members of the quidditch and MLQ communities. For that, we are deeply sorry.
As MLQ looks to the future, we are taking actionable steps to improve the MLQ, and overall quidditch, experience in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Changing Boston’s franchise name, the announcement of our BIPOC grant and creation of BIPOC recruitment materials, have all been items geared toward improving racial and gender equity in our league. Other actions MLQ has taken and is planning are outlined in our Black History Month update and our recurring DEI updates.
If you would like to contribute to MLQ’s DEI efforts, you can contact us at [email protected]. The MLQ team is currently seeking feedback on our Anti-Bias Officials Module and plans to collect additional DEI-related feedback on a recurring basis moving forward. Previously, we have gathered opinions through the joint BIPOC Town Halls with US Quidditch, 1:1 interviews and surveys.
We look forward to seeing you all, along with the newly named Boston Forge, on pitch soon!
Please note: Facebook must manually approve a name change on the Boston Facebook page. We have submitted the change, and the request is pending.