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Speaking now in the @MA_Senate about the resolve I filed with @Jo_Comerford, @NikaElugardo & @SabadosaMA to create a special commission to study and redesign the Massachusetts state seal and motto! #mapoli
Most MA residents are probably familiar with our state flag. They no doubt recognize the white field, blue crest and gold figure. But few stop to consider the meaning of this image-- our state seal, displayed as the official emblem of our Commonwealth on our flag & elsewhere.
Our state seal has changed a number of times over the past 400 years. The current state seal was designed by Edmund Garrett and adopted in 1898.
The Native figure is a composite of features based mostly on a Chief of the Chippewa Indians. The Chippewa lived mainly in the upper Midwest, and not in Mass. According to designer Garrett, this figure was selected because he was considered “a fine specimen of an Indian.”
Above his head is an arm holding a colonial-era sword believed to be the sword of Myles Standish, a military commander for the Plymouth Colony known for killing indigenous people. The Native man holds a downward-pointed arrow to signify the pacification of the Native population.
This imagery on our state seal has long been viewed by Native people & others as racist, symbolizing white supremacy & ethnic cleansing perpetrated against the indigenous peoples of this region.
Massachusetts and Mississippi are the only two states with flags that contain explicitly racist imagery. Recently, the Mississippi legislature voted to remove the Confederate imagery from their state flag.
This year is the 400th anniversary of the Plymouth landing, and we have a responsibility to tell the truth about our history. Part of an honest reckoning with our history is to replace images & symbols that perpetuate harmful racist stereotypes, whether intentionally or not.
The special commission created by this bill would be composed of people with relevant historical and cultural expertise, including Native Americans from tribes with a historical presence in Massachusetts.
The commission would be tasked with recommending a revised or new design for our state seal, which would then need to be approved by the state legislature. State law requires the flag to display the seal, so any new seal would also mean a new flag.
The goal is to ensure that our state seal and flag reflect & embody MA's commitment to peace, justice, liberty, & equality for all. The process undertaken by this commission would be inclusive & thoughtful, fostering a dialogue, particularly in our schools, about MA history.
Former State Representative and civil rights leader @ByronRushing first filed a version of this legislation in 1985. He was inspired by the advocacy of a class of elementary school students in Amherst.
In the 1990s, John Peters worked with Rep. Rushing to build support for this change to the state seal. Mr. Peters – known as Slow Turtle – served as the Executive Director of the Mass Commission on Indian Affairs, a position his son Jim Peters now holds.
Slow Turtle was a state and national leader in fighting for Native American rights and justice.
My interest in this legislation came about through my relationship with Rep. Rushing, whom I considered a mentor when I served with him in the House of Representatives.
My interest in this legislation came about through my relationship with Rep. Rushing, whom I considered a mentor when I served with him in the House of Representatives.
I grew up in South Africa when it was under the racist & oppressive apartheid regime. Back in the 80s, Byron was one of the local leaders that pushed Mass. to become the first state to divest from South Africa, a strategy that ultimately helped bring about the end of apartheid.
Passing this legislation today in the Senate, and hopefully seeing it signed into law in the near future, would be a fitting tribute to Byron’s decades-long campaign for human and civil rights in Massachusetts and beyond.
Thank you @KarenSpilka for your strong support for advancing this legislation. I am also very grateful to the @Jo_Comerford, who is a leader in our state on issues affecting indigenous people, as well as @MarcRPacheco and @SenJoanLovely.
We would not be taking up this bill without the tireless advocacy of Native leaders, orgs. and their allies. In particular, thanks to:
- Jean-Luc Pierite of the North American Indian Center of Boston
- Mahtowin Monro, the co-leader of United American Indians of New England
- Jean-Luc Pierite of the North American Indian Center of Boston
- Mahtowin Monro, the co-leader of United American Indians of New England
- Faries Gray, Sagamore of the Massachusett Tribe
- Jim Peters, Executive Director of the Mass Commission on Indian Affairs
- The Massachusetts Human Rights Coalition
- @masspeaceaction, and
- @nfsjorg in my hometown of Winchester
- Jim Peters, Executive Director of the Mass Commission on Indian Affairs
- The Massachusetts Human Rights Coalition
- @masspeaceaction, and
- @nfsjorg in my hometown of Winchester
Our collective symbols of identity matter, and if they marginalize some of our fellow residents and perpetuate harmful stereotypes, then they should be reconsidered and replaced. #mapoli
The resolve passed unanimously!
