A group pushing to change the name of iconic marketplace Faneuil Hall is now calling for a national “black-led boycott” of the tourist site after being “avoided and rebuffed” by Mayor Martin J. Walsh, according to its founder.

Kevin Peterson said the New Democracy Coalition has been reaching out to the mayor for more than a year and a half about a name change through letters, press conferences and office visits.

Peterson said the Faneuil Hall name, dedicated to Peter Faneuil, a slave owner, “is an insult to blacks not only in Boston, but blacks throughout the country.”

The group is now organizing a nationwide boycott of both Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.

In a letter sent to Boston Chamber of Commerce president James Rooney, Peterson wrote, “black people in this city and across the country can no longer tolerate the denial, disrespect, disdain and disassociation that the white political and economic hegemony in this city has directed over them.”

He added that the organization will be picketing outside the hall and are reaching out to national black organizations to let them know Faneuil Hall “is not a place for blacks to be.”

“We have been extremely disappointed to not hear any response from the mayor,” Peterson said. “The irony is that Mayor Walsh purports to support open dialogue about issues of racial insensitivity in Boston.”

Rooney could not be reached for comment yesterday. The mayor’s office declined to comment.

Walsh, in a previous statement, disagreed with the idea of changing the name.

“If we were to change the name of Faneuil Hall today, 30 years from now, no one would know why we did it,” Walsh said. “Not many people know about the history of that man.”

He later added, “Over the years, Faneuil Hall has become a place where good things have happened: historic speeches such as Frederick Douglass’ call for the end to slavery, the signing of forward-thinking legislation like the Affordable Care Act, and where hundreds of people take their oath of citizenship every year. What we should do instead, is figure out a way to acknowledge the history so people understand it. We can’t erase history, but we can learn from it.”

Boston has faced increased pressure to remove monuments associated with past racism. In April, city officials voted to approve the name change of Yawkey Way outside of Fenway Park.