Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Chair Collins, Chair Cabral, and Members of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight:
My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the Policy Director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group committed to fighting for an equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable Commonwealth.
We urge you to give a favorable report to S.2113/H.3292: An Act establishing Indigenous Peoples Day.
For decades, Christopher Columbus has been celebrated as a “hero” who “discovered America.” Indigenous people have made it clear that, to the contrary, these lands were invaded, not “discovered,” and that Columbus and his men were responsible for the enslavement, rape, and murder of countless Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean. Since the 1970s, Indigenous people have asked that Indigenous Peoples Day should instead be celebrated on the second Monday in October as a positive day to learn about and honor Indigenous history and peoples.
Our neighbors in Maine and Vermont already celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, as do an increasing number of cities and towns in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth should join them.
Thank you again for all your work on today’s hearing, and again, please give a favorable report to S.2113/H.3292 (An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day).
Sincerely,
Jonathan Cohn
Policy Director
Progressive Massachusetts
