MASSACHUSETTS DESERVES a new state seal and motto. As leaders of the special commission charged with reviewing the current seal and motto, we understand the harm these symbols and words cause for many Indigenous residents and anyone who believes in the promise of the Commonwealth. Our past, present, and future call on us to do better.

Such work takes time and thoughtful discourse. This work continues today, with clear benchmarks in sight and a healthy appreciation of the magnitude of the change we seek to set in motion. We thank the residents in over 70 Massachusetts towns who have approved resolutions supporting the commission and asking for a new state flag, as well as the teachers and students who send their ideas and encouragement.

As we resume our efforts next month, we hope to clarify the origins of the commission, our progress to date, and the work we intend to complete this year.

Signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in January 2021, the founding legislation asked the commission to:

  1. Investigate the features of the seal and motto, including those features that may be “unwittingly harmful to or misunderstood by the citizens of the Commonwealth.”
  2. Examine and study the seal and motto of the Commonwealth to ensure that they reflect Massachusetts’ commitments to “peace, justice, liberty, and equality and to spreading the opportunities and advantages of education.”

For deliverables, the legislation asked the commission to make “recommendations for a revised or new design of the seal of the Commonwealth and a revised or new motto of the Commonwealth” and “for an educational program on the history and meaning of the seal and motto.”

The commission got off to a slow start as we waited for the previous administration to appoint its complete slate of members, which it did shortly before our original October 1, 2021 deadline. In January 2022, the full commission met for the first time.

In the meetings that ensued through last year, we reviewed the origins of the seal, tracing a history that dates to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The most recent update came in 1895, led by a small group of White men, without public input nor any effort to include the views of Indigenous residents.

This commission has operated differently. We include members of five Indigenous tribes, three legislators, and representatives from four cultural institutions and the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs. We established co-chair and co-vice chair positions that ensured shared leadership for Indigenous and non-Indigenous members. Our process is not yet complete, but we believe history is made in Massachusetts whenever we seek to improve on a past where exclusion was the norm in official settings.

Through our deliberations, we identified features that are harmful and/or misunderstood by the citizens of the Commonwealth. These include the heraldic charge, or Indigenous figure, which was designed without input from Indigenous residents and does not accurately reflect the history of Indigenous people in Massachusetts; the sword in the crest, positioned above that figure, which can be interpreted to represent the history of violence perpetuated by settlers against Indigenous populations; and the promises of the motto, which translates from the Latin as “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty,” and does not reflect the experiences of Indigenous people. In May 2022, the Commission passed a motion calling for a new design for the seal and motto.

We proceeded to explore symbols and terms that might replace harm with inspiration. Discussions on the best practices in seal and flag design gave us new perspectives on the possibilities for Massachusetts. We also sought out suggestions for gathering public input on the future of these visible symbols.

In our December 2022 interim report, we identified three initial recommendations and the steps needed to complete our responsibilities.

First, we understand the need for additional resources to educate the public about the Indigenous history and cultures of Massachusetts, the history and usages of the current seal and motto, the harm they inflicted, and the efforts to change them. We will develop a framework for educational resources that engage with a history that is complicated and unfolding.

Second, Massachusetts should incorporate symbols and terms in a new seal and motto that are aspirational and inclusive of the diverse perspectives, histories, and experiences of Massachusetts residents. We presented a list of appropriate symbols in the categories of flora (examples: eastern white pine, elm tree, cranberries), fauna (chickadee, cod, feather, turkey), and geographic features (ocean, hills, coastline, state shape). We recommended terms including “Commonwealth,” “For the common good,” “equality,” “hope,” “liberty,” “peace,” “reciprocity,” and the names of tribal nations.

Finally, we agreed that the people of Massachusetts deserve an opportunity to provide input to the Commission. These symbols are used in a multitude of ways throughout the Commonwealth, in particular on the state flag, which serves as a banner for our service people in the armed forces. In the coming months, we will conduct a statewide survey that will help shape our final recommendations. We will also provide guidance on a future design process and on the relationship between the seal and the state flag, which is currently mandated by a state statute.

We are grateful for the recent extension of our deadline to November 15, 2023, and confident that our final report will present new resources and clear options for legislators. The power to change these symbols and to enact any changes to the state flag lies with lawmakers.

Over the last 18 months, we reminded ourselves that we are part of a journey that is decades in the making. The efforts to address the seal and motto did not begin in January 2021. For more than 40 years, activists, including the late John Peters, also known as Slow Turtle, and former state representative Byron Rushing advocated for change. We are fortunate to partner with our colleagues to complete this stage in that journey. Our history should be neither hidden nor one-sided. When our public iconography reflects our highest aspirations, Massachusetts will be a better place.

Brian Boyles is co-chair and Brittney Peauwe Wunnepog Walley is co-vice chair of the Special Commission on the Official Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth.