Great news! After 36 years of delay, on January 6th, 2021, the Massachusetts legislature finally voted to change the state flag and seal. We thank the legislators of Massachusetts for inviting this dialogue with the passage of this resolve. We look forward to the day, coming soon, when children in our schools will learn from the living Native cultures of this land beneath a new state flag and seal, one that truly reflects the ideals of harmony, respect and understanding between all who share the Commonwealth today.
Governor Charlie Baker has 10 days to sign the resolve which will establish the special commission to design a new state flag and seal. Write to urge him to do so at once, here.
Since 1629, the official symbol of Massachusetts has featured a white supremacist caricature of a Native person holding a downward pointed arrow. For the last 240 years, that official state symbol has included a white hand brandishing a Colonial broadsword over the Native person’s head, with a Latin motto underneath that translates: “Peace Under the Sword…”
Now, that hideous symbol is heading for the trashbin of history, where all such overtly racist symbols belong.
Click here to learn more.