We need your help to get an Indigenous Peoples Day bill passed in MA! Urge the MA Legislature to move this important bill to vote: “H.3191/S.2027 An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day"
Dear Friends and Supporters of Indigenous Peoples Day:
For decades, Christopher Columbus has been celebrated as a “hero” who “discovered America.” Indigenous people have made it clear that in truth he and his men were responsible for the enslavement, rape and murder of countless Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean, and that the lands where he arrived were invaded, not “discovered.” Since the 1970s, Indigenous people have asked that Indigenous Peoples Day be celebrated instead of Columbus Day on the second Monday in October as a positive day to learn about and honor Indigenous history and peoples. States such as Maine and Vermont already celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, as do an increasing number of cities and towns in Massachusetts, from Holyoke to Northampton to Provincetown, Somerville, Cambridge and Boston. The time has come for the entire state of Massachusetts to STOP celebrating Columbus and instead honor Indigenous Peoples Day. An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day will make that happen.
Please take a moment today to contact your legislators and leadership asking them to pass this legislation (H.3191 and S.2027)! The bills were favorably voted out of their first committee on July 12, 2022 but need to be passed by the entire legislature before the legislative session ends at the end of July. The text of the bills reads as follows: “Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 12V and inserting in place thereof the following section:– Section 12V. The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day and recommending that it be observed by the people, with appropriate exercises in the schools and otherwise, to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous peoples, and to recognize and celebrate the thriving cultures and continued resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples and their tribal nations.”