What's Up With Penny Lane And Slavery?

Penny Lane signs (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Penny Lane, a timeless section of the road in the legendary Beatles song, has been plagued by anti-racism protesters in Liverpool, England. However, it is best for the demonstrators to stop because Penny Lane has nothing to do with the history of slavery.

Reported by Rollingstone.com, Liverpool International Slavery Museum has given testimony containing the conclusion that Penny Lane is not connected to the slave trade, as news circulated among the demonstrators.

In addition, a local tour guide named Jackie Spencer also expressed doubts about the news circulating. "We have researched. It (Penny Lane) has nothing to do with slavery," he said, written by the BBC.

NME reported that last week, four road signs with the words "Penny Lane" were scribbled off with spray paint. The perpetrators marked each sign with the words "racist."

The action was a public response from Liverpool in support of the "Black Lives Matter" action which was widespread around the world following the death of George Floyd. The black man died at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, United States (US), Dereck Chauvin.

Some people believe Penny Lane is named after James Penny, a figurehead of the slave trade in the late 1700s. Meanwhile, the Mayor of the Metro Liverpool said he would immediately conduct research on the origin of the name Penny Lane.

According to him, if it was true that Penny Lane was taken from the name James, he would take steps to change the name Penny Lane. "If it's a direct consequence of a road being called Penny Lane because of James Penny, then that needs to be investigated ... Something needs to happen and I'm going to say the sign and the road might be in danger of being renamed."