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To the Editor:
Gov. Maura Healey officially proclaimed Oct. 12 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and noted that the day is “an opportunity to confront historical injustices, address ongoing inequities, and celebrate Indigenous cultures and lasting contributions to our state.”
But this proclamation is not what Indigenous people have been seeking. The state did nothing to mark the occasion, and most importantly, it did not replace the Columbus Day holiday with Indigenous Peoples Day.
This action clearly was not carefully considered. It makes no sense to try to honor Indigenous Peoples Day jointly with Columbus Day, a holiday uplifting Columbus and his men who murdered, raped, and enslaved Indigenous people wherever they went. Instead, Gov. Healey should have paid attention to what has been happening at the State House and in cities and towns around the Commonwealth.
Instead of issuing a token proclamation, Gov. Healey should support the five bills that promote justice for Indigenous people and have been before the state legislature since 2019. These bills include one to prohibit the use of Native American sports mascots and imagery in Massachusetts public schools.
The American Psychological Association has published a resolution citing research underscoring that the continued use of mascots negatively impacts all students, teaching “children that it’s acceptable to participate in culturally abusive behavior and perpetuate inaccurate misconceptions about American Indian culture.”
Another bill would mandate the teaching of Native American history, culture, and contemporary issues in public schools, developed alongside local tribal nations. Yet another would promote the health and educational outcomes of Native students by establishing a permanent commission to track and improve educational outcomes and opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native students.
The governor’s proclamation recognizes “violence and destruction, including through policies enacted by our nation that forced [Indigenous peoples] out of their homelands. In the process, many lives were lost, along with much of their culture.”
The United States, the Bay Colony, and the Province of Massachusetts prosecuted wars in pursuit of settling the land. It’s within the long shadow of those wars that the state government operates today.
In 2021, the first legislative success of our coalition was the passage of the bill to establish a commission relative to the seal and motto of the Commonwealth. Nearly six years after this bill, the state flag still memorializes the dismemberment of Pometacomet following the war of resistance in the 1670s.
The demand for an Indigenous Peoples Day in lieu of Columbus Day goes beyond the recognition of cultures and the contributions of individuals and communities to the Commonwealth. A proper response from the Healey-Driscoll administration requires an acknowledgment of the government’s obligations to Indigenous nations, divestment from systems of extraction and settler violence, and restorative measures towards the needs and priorities of all of our peoples.
– Mahtowin Munro, United American Indians of New England and Jean-Luc Pierite, North American Indian Center of Boston
Copyright © 2026 Boston Neighborhood News, Inc. This content may not be re-published or re-used without written permission.
