Description
For over 40 years, Indigenous leaders have been calling for the Flag & Seal of Massachusetts to be changed. To many, the imagery of a white hand holding a sword over the head of an Indigenous person, and the Latin motto, "By the Sword She Seeks Peace, but Peace with Liberty," speaks of a history of violent colonization and conquest.
On January 6th, 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature established a Special Commission on the Official Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth, and invited Native leaders from the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Massachusett nations to sit with state legislators, historians, and others to recommend changes to the state symbol. In 2022, the statewide special commission recommended a total revision of the Massachusetts flag and seal.
