You can help change the Massachusetts flag and seal.

2048px-Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg

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

Share our website with your friends and contacts throughout Massachusetts.

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

Download the Spanish version of our flier; descargue nuestro folleto y distribúyalo en reuniones, eventos comunitarios o reuniones.

Subscribe in the footer for regular updates.

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.

Massachusetts town map
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 South Hadley Falmouth Swampscott Westhampton Ashby Belchertown Hatfield Newburyport Williamstown Becket Arlington West Newbury West Brookfield North Brookfield Harvard Merrimac Hanson Southbridge Grafton Lee Monson Brookfield Newbury Pepperell Hawley

Ashfield

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Amherst

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: City Council

Harwich

Voted against: 2019

Deerfield

Government type: Open Town Meeting
Voted in Favor: April 25th, 2022

Belmont

Government type: Representative Town Meeting
Voted in Favor: 221 to 20 on May 9th, 2022

Bolton

Government type: Open Town Meeting
Voted in Favor: May 2nd, 2022

Lunenburg

Government type: Open Town Meeting
Voted in Favor: 48 - 20 on May 7th, 2022

Great Barrington

Upcoming action: Voted in Favor
Government type: Open Town Meeting
Date of town meeting: June 6th, 2022

Athol

Voted in Favor: June 13, 2022, approximately 2-1 with 105 people in attendance.
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Barre

Voted in Favor: June 14th, 2022: One of two towns to reverse their original No Vote from 2019; the other was Bernardston
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Petersham

Upcoming action: Voted in favor, 40 - 4
Government type: Open Town Meeting
Date of town meeting: June 6th

Stockbridge

Government type: Open Town Meeting
Voted in Favor: May 16th, 2022, 43- 29

Easthampton

Government type: City Council
Voted unanimously in favor, 9/7/22

Pittsfield

Government type: City Council
Help Needed: Gathering Signatures

Acton

Government type: Open Town Meeting
Voted in Favor: May 16th, 2022 - unanimously!

Williamsburg

Upcoming Action: Voted overwhelmingly in favor
Government type:
 Open Town Meeting
Date of town meeting: June 6th, 2022

Sturbridge

Upcoming action: Voted in favor, 78 - 29
Government type: Open Town Meeting
Date of town meeting: June 6th, 2022

Newburyport

Government type: City Council
Help Needed: to reach out to City Councilors

Ipswich

Upcoming Action: Resolution is on the Tuesday, May 9th, 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant; Article #13; meeting begins at 7 pm; Ipswich High School
Government Type: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Attend Town Meeting; Help spread the word; Support the Resolution

Rowley

Voted against: 2019

Bernardston

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Brewster

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Town Meeting

Brookline

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Representative Town Meeting

Buckland

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Cambridge

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: City Council

Chatham

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Town Meeting

Colrain

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Conway

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Cummington

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Dennis

Voted in favor: 2020
Government type: Town Meeting

Eastham

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Town Meeting

Erving

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Gill

Voted in favor: 2018
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Greenfield

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Town Council

Hadley

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Town Meeting

Heath

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Leverett

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Leyden

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Lincoln

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Town Meeting

Montague

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Representative Town Meeting

New Salem

Voted in favor: 2018
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Northampton

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: City Council

Northfield

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Orange

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Orleans

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Town Meeting

Pelham

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Plainfield

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Provincetown

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Rowe

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Royalston

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Shelburne

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Shutesbury

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Sunderland

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Truro

Voted in favor: 2021
Government type: Town Meeting

Warwick

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Wellfleet

Voted in favor: 2020
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Wendell

Voted in favor: 2018
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Whately

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Windsor

Voted in favor: 2019
Government type: Open Town Meeting

Melrose

Government type: City Council
Help Needed: Reaching out to Councilors

Charlemont

Government Type: Open Town Meeting
Voted in Favor: 2019

South Hadley

Already Voted in Favor: 61 - 9 on November 30th, 2022
Type of Government: Elected Town Meeting

Falmouth

Upcoming Action: Signatures Gathered
Government Type: Elected Town Meeting
Date of Town Meeting: April 10th, 2023

Swampscott

Type of Government: Representative Town Meeting.
Upcoming Action: Resolution will be on annual town meeting warrant, May 15th, 2023.
Help Needed: Urge Town Meeting members to support.

Westhampton

Upcoming Action: Resolution will appear on the May 13th Annual Town Meeting
Type of Government - Open Town Meeting
Help Needed - Plan to Attend Annual Town Meeting at vote for the resolution to change the flag and seal

Ashby

Type of Government: Open Town Meeting.
Upcoming Action: Resolution will be on the warrant, annual town meeting, April 24th, 2023.
Help Needed: Attend Town Meeting, speak in favor, and vote for the resolution!

Belchertown

Upcoming Action: Signatures Being Gathered for Spring Town Meeting
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Sign Petition; Attend Town Meeting and Speak in Favor

Hatfield

Upcoming Action: Signatures being gathered to place resolution on Annual Town Meeting Warrant
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Sign Petition; Plan to attend Town Meeting and vote for the resolution

Newburyport

Voted in Favor: The Newburyport City Council voted 7 - 3 (with one abstention) in favor of a Resolution in Support of Changing the Flag and Seal, on Monday, March 13th, 2023.
Type of Government: City Council, 11 members: 6 by ward, 5 at-large
Help Needed: Gathering signatures; lobby councilors; attend hearing and speak in favor.

Williamstown

Upcoming Action: Signatures being gathered
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Sign Petition; Plan to Attend Annual Town Meeting and vote for resolution

Becket

Upcoming Action: Signatures being gathered to place resolution on annual town meeting warrant.
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting.
Help Needed: Sign Petition; Plan to attend Town Meeting and vote in favor of the resolution.

Arlington

Upcoming Action: Resolution to change the flag and seal will be on the Annual Town Meeting warrant. Meeting begins on Monday, April 24th and continues on Wednesday, alternating Monday to Wednesday until all articles are heard.
Type of Government: Elected Town Meeting
Help Needed: Contact Town Meeting members, speak in support.

West Newbury

Upcoming Action: Resolution to be voted on at the annual town meeting, Monday, April 24th, in the evening
Type of Government: Open town meeting
Help Needed: Plan to attend town meeting and vote in favor of the resolution to change the flag and seal

West Brookfield

Upcoming Action: Signatures being gathered.
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting.
Help Needed: Sign the petition; plan to attend annual town meeting and support the resolution

North Brookfield

Upcoming Action: Signatures being gathered to place resolution on the town meeting warrant
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Sign Petition; Plan to Attend Annual Town Meeting and Vote in Favor

Harvard

Upcoming Action: Resolution will appear on the warrant for the annual town meeting on Saturday, April 29th, beginning at noon at the Bromfield School
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Attend Town Meeting; Vote in favor of the resolution to change the flag and seal

Merrimac

Upcoming Action: Resolution will be on the warrant for the April 24th Annual Town Meeting; the meeting begins at 7:30 at the Sweetsir School on Church St. (and may continue on Monday, May 8th).
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Plan to attend the annual town meeting and support the resolution

Hanson

Petition Signatures Handed in: Resolution will appear on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant, Monday, May 1st, 6:30 pm, Hanson Middle School
Government Type: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Attend Town Meeting and Vote in Support

Southbridge

Town Council Vote Scheduled: Monday, March 27th, 2023, 7 p.m. at the council chamber on 41 Elm Street
Type of Government: At large Town Council, nine members
Help Needed: Contact town councilors and urge their support of the resolution to change the flag and seal of Massachusetts; attend the hearing on March 27th and speak in favor of the resolution

Grafton

Signatures Being Gathered: to place resolution on annual town meeting warrant
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Sign Petition; Plan to attend town meeting and speak in support of the resolution to change the flag and seal

Lee

Upcoming Action: Signatures gathered; resolution will be on the annual town meeting on May 11th, 7:00 pm at Lee High School
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Plan to attend town meeting and support the resolution

Monson

Upcoming Action: Signatures being gathered to place resolution on the May 8th annual town meeting warrant
Government Type: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Sign the Petition; Plan to Attend the Monday, May 8th Annual Town Meeting and support the resolution. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Granite Valley School.

Brookfield

Upcoming Action: Signatures Being Gathered to place resolution on Annual Town Meeting
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Sign the Petition; Plan to Attend Annual Town Meeting and support the resolution to change the flag and seal

Newbury

Upcoming Action: Resolution will be on the warrant for the April 25th Annual Town Meeting. Meeting begins at 7 pm at the Newbury Elementary School, 63 Hanover St.
Government Type: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Plan to Attend Town Meeting and Support the Resolution

Pepperell

Upcoming Action: Petition handed in; resolution will appear on the Spring Annual Town Meeting
Government Type: Open Town Meeting
Help Needed: Plan to attend town meeting and support the resolution to change the flag and seal

Hawley

Upcoming Action: Signatures gathered, petitions handed in; resolution will be on the annual town meeting warrant on Monday, May 9th
Type of Government: Open town meeting
Help Needed: Plan to attend town meeting, speak in favor of the resolution

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