You can help change the Massachusetts flag and seal.

For more than 50 years, Indigenous leaders have been calling for the Flag and Seal of Massachusetts to be changed.

On January 6th, 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature approved a bill to establish a Special Commission Relative to the Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth, and to invite Native leaders from the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Massachusett nations to sit with state legislators, historians, and other appointees on this 19-member panel. The Special Commission is charged with making recommendations for changes to the Massachusetts flag and seal, and also with making recommendations for an educational program on the history and meaning of the flag and seal.

Our voices in support of this historic process are needed now! The time has come to change the Massachusetts flag and seal.

Why is a change needed?

The imagery of the Massachusetts Flag and Seal – a white hand holding a Colonial sword over the head of an Indigenous person, above a Latin motto that translates: “She Seeks by the Sword a Quiet Peace under Liberty” – is seen by many as a symbol of violence against Indigenous people, and a memorial to the violent colonization of their homelands. Finally, Native leaders of the area are being consulted about a new design for a flag and seal that may better express the ideals of peace, justice, and equality for all the people who now call the Commonwealth their home.

Here's how you can help

Share our website with your friends and contacts throughout Massachusetts.

Download our flier and distribute it at meetings, community events or gatherings.

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Contact legislators

Contact your state legislators and urge them to support the work of the Special Commission, to change the flag and seal of Massachusetts.

Follow this link to find out who your state legislators are.

Take action

Support other Indigenous-backed legislation pending in the state legislature, including bills to ban the use of Native mascots in public schools in the Commonwealth, to Celebrate and Teach Native Culture and History in public schools, to Protect Native Heritage, and to Recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day in Massachusetts. Send an automated letter here.

Get involved locally

If your city or town has not yet voted to support changing the Massachusetts flag and seal, view the map below and contact us. We will let you know the steps you can take to add your city or town to that growing list.

Has your city or town already voted to support changing the flag and seal?

If not, contact us and let’s work together to make that happen. Select a highlighted town or city on the map below to learn more.

You can help change the Massachusetts flag and seal.

For more than 50 years, Indigenous leaders have been calling for the Flag and Seal of Massachusetts to be changed.

Why is a change needed?

Here's how you can help

Share

Contact legislators

Take action

Get involved locally

Has your city or town already voted to support changing the flag and seal?

Ashfield

Amherst

Harwich

Deerfield

Belmont

Bolton

Lunenburg

Great Barrington

Athol

Barre

Petersham

Stockbridge

Easthampton

Pittsfield

Acton

Williamsburg

Sturbridge

Newburyport

Ipswich

Rowley

Bernardston

Brewster

Brookline

Buckland

Cambridge

Chatham

Colrain

Conway

Cummington

Dennis

Eastham

Erving

Gill

Greenfield

Hadley

Heath

Leverett

Leyden

Lincoln

Montague

New Salem

Northampton

Northfield

Orange

Orleans

Pelham

Plainfield

Provincetown

Rowe

Royalston

Shelburne

Shutesbury

Sunderland

Truro

Warwick

Wellfleet

Wendell

Whately

Windsor

Melrose

Charlemont

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