Email Templates for Contacting Legislators

Steps to take action:

Familiarize yourself with the MA Indigenous Agenda
Write to each of the House and Joint Committees, personalizing your letter if possible. You can find the committee letters and contact information below:

Find your state representative and senator
Write your state representative, senator and others you may know. Email template for your legislators below.

MA Indigenous Agenda Legislator Email

Click here to find your legislators. Please cc info@maindigenousagenda.org and info@masspeaceaction.org.

Subject: Please support the Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda

I am a constituent from the town of [city/town].

I am writing in support of the Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda. I hope that you can sponsor these bills, if still possible, and support these bills by contacting their respective committees and asking they be reported out favorably.

The bills included are:

1. “An Act Establishing an Indigenous People’s Day” (H.3665) – This bill replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in the Massachusetts General Laws. Columbus Day celebrations erase the true histories of colonialism, genocide and racism that Native peoples have experienced and continue to face. (currently in the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight)

2. “An Act to Protect Native American Heritage” (H.2948 / S.1811) – To ensure that Native American funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony held in governmental/municipal or in non-profit collections are not sold for profit. (S.1811 currently in the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight; H.2948 currently in the House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling)

3. “An Act Prohibiting the Use of Native American Mascots by Public Schools in the Commonwealth” (H.443 / S.247) – Currently about 38 public high schools in the state use Native American mascots. This bill would task the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education with establishing regulations to prohibit Native American mascots in Massachusetts public schools. (currently in the Joint Committee on Education)

4. “Resolve Providing for the Creation of a Special Commission Relative to the Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth” (H.2776 / S.1877) – A bill to establish a special commission which shall make recommendations regarding a revised or new design of the seal of the commonwealth and a revised or new motto of the commonwealth. (currently in the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight)

5. “An Act providing for the creation of a permanent commission relative to the education of American Indian and Alaska Native residents of the Commonwealth” (H.444) – Proposing a permanent commission towards improving educational outcomes and opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native students. (currently in the Joint Committee on Education)

[personalize]
As a (parent, teacher, therapist, person of Indigenous descent, social worker, etc.) this issue concerns me because (specific reason/s). I ask that this legislation be reported out of committee with a favorable vote.
[/personalize]

Thank you for supporting this legislation.

Sincerely,

[name]
[address]

House Bill H2776/ Senate Bill S1877 Committee Email – Reviewing the State Seal

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Emails: Barry.Finegold@masenate.gov, Becca.Rausch@masenate.gov, Carlos.Gonzalez@mahouse.gov, Carmine.Gentile@mahouse.gov, Daniel.Donahue@mahouse.gov, Daniel.Hunt@mahouse.gov, Danielle.Gregoire@mahouse.gov, David.Biele@mahouse.gov, Dean.Tran@masenate.gov, Marc.Pacheco@masenate.gov, Marcos.Devers@mahouse.gov, Maria.Robinson@mahouse.gov, Mathew.Muratore@mahouse.gov, Nick.Collins@masenate.gov, Norman.Orrall@mahouse.gov, Paul.Feeney@masenate.gov, Sean.Garballey@mahouse.gov
Please cc: info@maindigenousagenda.org and info@masspeaceaction.org.

Subject:“Please support H.2776 and S.1877 – Reviewing the State Seal”

Esteemed members of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight:

I am writing in support of Senate Bill S.1877/House Bill H.2776 – “Resolve providing for the creation of a special commission relative to the seal and motto of the Commonwealth.”

I am deeply concerned about the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Flag and Seal in its present form. For many years it has been the symbol of our State and yet it is overtly racist and offensive. I support Senate Bill S.1877 and House Bill H.2776, which would help remove this symbol of hatred and start a search for a more appealing and creative symbol to represent our Commonwealth. I hope that you can also be a sponsor of this bill.

[personalize:]
As a (parent, teacher, therapist, person of Indigenous descent, social worker, etc.) this issue concerns me because (specific reason/s). I ask that this legislation be reported out of committee with a favorable vote.
[/personalize]

Thank you for supporting this legislation.

Sincerely,

[name]
[address]

House Bill H3665 Committee Email – Indigenous Peoples Day

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Subject: Please support H.3665 – Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day

Esteemed members of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight:

I am writing in support of the House Bill H.3665, “An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day.” I ask that this bill be reported out of committee with a favorable vote.

I support replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day because by celebrating Christopher Columbus Day we are celebrating genocide and erasing the true histories of colonialism, genocide and racism that Native peoples have experienced and continue to face.

Changing the second Monday in October to Indigenous Peoples Day acknowledges the impact of European settlement and celebrates Indigenous resilience and survival in Massachusetts as well as throughout the Americas.

Cities and towns all over the US have taken this step, and an increasing number of states are doing so now, including Maine, Vermont, New Mexico, Alaska, and Minnesota. Several cities and towns in MA have taken this step, as well.

Celebrating Columbus in Massachusetts sends the wrong message to our young people, making them believe that he was a hero when in fact he and his men engaged in the most horrific abuses. By continuing to celebrate Christopher Columbus Day, we perpetuate the myths about him and teach generation after generation an untrue history and ignore the harm caused by colonialism.

Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas have been asking for this change since at least the 1970s, and Native peoples in Massachusetts have asked for this change. By honoring this request, we celebrate Indigenous resilience and survival, and honor them and take an important step towards reconciliation.

I ask that you please report this bill out of committee with a favorable vote and allow the people of Massachusetts to be heard. This important bill deserves a House vote this session and will need your committee’s favorable vote in order for the legislative process to continue. The people of Massachusetts deserve the end of celebrating genocide and instead, to honor the resilience and survival of our Indigenous neighbors.

Thank you for supporting this legislation.

Sincerely,

[name]
[address]

Senate Bill S1811 Committee Email – Protecting Native American Heritage

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Subject: Please support S.1811 – Protecting Native American Heritage

Esteemed members of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight:

I am writing in support of the Senate Bill S.1811, “An Act to Protect Native American Heritage.” I ask that this bill be reported out of committee with a favorable vote.

Law enforcement efforts to preserve heritage and to deter trafficking of funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony rely on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA). NAGPRA currently only applies to publicly funded entities that receive federal funding.

In 2018, The North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB) responded to the listing of sacred objects from the Pacific Northwest deacquisitioned by the Medford Public Library to be auctioned by Skinner Auctioneers. In the statement, NAICOB called the listing “unconscionable” and recommended repatriation. Mayor Stephanie M. Burke quickly withdrew the artifacts.

“Tribal cultural heritage belongs to the tribal community of its origin as a whole. And by tribal custom, cannot be alienated from that community by any individual or group without the expressed free, prior, and informed consent of that tribe.” Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Malthais, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), testifying before the Committee on Indian Affairs in 2016.

Thank you for supporting this legislation.

Sincerely,

[name]
[address]

House Bill H2948 Committee Email – Protecting Native American Heritage

House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling

Emails: Brad.Hill@mahouse.gov, Christina.Minicucci@mahouse.gov, Daniel.Donahue@mahouse.gov, James.Hawkins@mahouse.gov, Jon.Santiago@mahouse.gov, Lindsay.Sabadosa@mahouse.gov, Michelle.Dubois@mahouse.gov, Mike.Connolly@mahouse.gov, Patrick.Kearney@mahouse.gov, Susan.Gifford@mahouse.gov, Thomas.Petrolati@mahouse.gov
Please cc: info@maindigenousagenda.org and info@masspeaceaction.org.

Subject:Please support H.2948 – Protecting Native American Heritage

Esteemed members of the House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling:

I am writing in support of the House Bill H.2948, “An Act to Protect Native American Heritage.” I ask that this bill be reported out of committee with a favorable vote.

Thank you for supporting this legislation.

Sincerely,

[name]
[address]

House Bill H443/ Senate Bill S247 Committee Email – Banning Native Mascots

Joint Committee on Education

Emails: Adam.Hinds@masenate.gov, Alice.Peisch@mahouse.gov, Andy.Vargas@mahouse.gov, Bud.Williams@mahouse.gov, Chynah.Tyler@mahouse.gov, Daniel.Carey@mahouse.gov, James.Kelcourse@mahouse.gov, Jason.Lewis@masenate.gov, Joan.Lovely@masenate.gov, Jon.Zlotnik@mahouse.gov, Julian.Cyr@masenate.gov, Kimberly.Ferguson@mahouse.gov, Patrick.Oconnor@masenate.gov, Paul.Tucker@mahouse.gov, Richard.Haggerty@mahouse.gov, Sal.Didomenico@masenate.gov, Thomas.Walsh@mahouse.gov
Please cc: info@maindigenousagenda.org and info@masspeaceaction.org.

Subject: “Please support H.443 and S.247 – Banning Native Mascots”

Esteemed members of the Joint Committee on Education:

I am writing in support of Senate Bill S.247/House Bill H.443 “An Act Prohibiting the Use of Native American Mascots by Public Schools in the Commonwealth.” I ask that this bill be reported out of committee with a favorable vote.

Decades of social science research have shown that Native American mascots have serious social and emotional consequences for Native American youth, including lower self-esteem, less future aspiration, and negative emotions, and thus generate a hostile school climate for these youth. For non-Native people, they promote a false understanding of Native Americans, normalize culturally insensitive behaviors, and make them more likely to internalize stereotypes of racial minorities. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the country’s largest Native American advocacy organization, has been fighting to eliminate Native American mascots since the 1960s. Currently over 115 tribal, government, education, professional, civil rights, and religious organizations in the United States have recognized the negative health impacts of Native American mascots and called for their elimination.

In Massachusetts, this includes the Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation, Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and Nipmuc Nation. Organizations in Massachusetts include Cultural Survival, Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs, Massachusetts Teachers Association, the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter (NASW-MA), Network for Social Justice (Winchester) Indigenous People’s Advocacy Committee (IPAC), the New England Area Conference of the NAACP, North American Indian Center of Boston, and United American Indians of New England. In addition to NCAI, national organizations include the National Education Association, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the American Psychological Association, the American Anthropological Association, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Many school districts that have been confronted with this issue fear community backlash and so fail to take a stand. Civil rights issues must be addressed at the state level. S.247/H.443 will be a first step towards ending this harmful discrimination in our Massachusetts public schools.

I hope you will agree that Native American mascots have no place in our public schools. I ask that you please report this bill out of committee with a favorable vote.

Sincerely,

[name]
[address]

House Bill H444 Committee Email – Educating Native Youth

Joint Committee on Education

Subject: Please support H.444 – Educating Native Youth

Esteemed members of the Joint Committee on Education:

I am writing in support of the House Bill H.444, “An Act providing for the creation of a permanent commission relative to the education of American Indian and Alaska Native residents of the Commonwealth.” I ask that this bill be reported out of committee with a favorable vote.

As a State Education agency (SEA) the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) must engage in timely and meaningful consultation with stakeholders. Representatives of Indian tribes located in the State are explicitly identified as stakeholders in the consolidated state plan.

While the current accountability system includes 99.8% of all students from assessed grades in the aggregate, only 3.1% of the Native American student population is included in the system. Alaska Native students are not distinguished in the consolidated state plan. Furthermore, none of the resident Native Hawaiian student population is included in the accountability system.

Baseline data in the consolidated state plan indicate for American Indian and Alaska Native students: 61.9% proficiency in English Language Arts; 52.6% proficiency in Math; 42.4% proficiency in Science; and 79.5% graduation rates.

Thank you for supporting this legislation.

Sincerely,

[name]
[address]