by Grace Cowell
On Monday, May 12, indigenous leaders, activists, and allies gathered at the State House for a day of action surrounding the Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda (MILA). The 2025-2026 MILA is composed of five bills:
- Mascot Bill: An Act Prohibiting the Use of Native American Mascots by Public Schools in the Commonwealth (H.575/S.312)
- Indigenous Peoples Day: An Act Establishing An Indigenous Peoples Day (H.3292/S.2113)
- Native American Culture and History: An Act Relative to Celebrating and Teaching Native American Cultures & History (H.628/S.444)
- Protect Native American Heritage: An Act to Protect Native American Heritage (H.3597/S.2335)
- Support the Education and Futures of Native Youth: 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.649/S.412)
The day began with a meeting on the front steps of the State House, where after a few words from Jean-Luc Pierite, President of the Board at the North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB) and a member of the Tunica-Biloxi tribe, activists split into teams to visit all of the legislative offices. My team was in charge of the House basement, where we dropped off literature about the five bills that compose MILA, and invited legislators and staff to a briefing that afternoon.
Our conversations with the offices were positive and the staff members we spoke with were highly receptive and genuinely interested in the information we shared, and I ended up seeing many of them at the briefing.
Once all of the teams finished visiting the offices, the briefing began with an introduction from Pierite. Over the next hour, attendees heard from indigenous leaders and allies as they spoke about each of the five bills and their importance for indigenous justice.
Faries Gray, Sagamore (War Chief) of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, emphasized that indigenous individuals have never been treated as human beings and questioned what it is about them that brings out the worst in the humanity of colonizers. He explained that he was not asking for special treatment, but simply for legislators to pass the five bills so indigenous people can have “the same human rights that you give everyone else.”
Melissa Ferretti, Chairwoman of the Herring Pond Wampanoag, discussed the damages caused by the mascot bill, and how the use of Native images as school mascots is a modern extension of “systemic erasure, misrepresentation, and discrimination,” and reduces vibrant cultures to stereotypical imagery. Ferretti explained how native mascots are not only hurtful to native youth, but also to non-native youth, by teaching them that culturally insensitive behavior and the use of stereotypical narratives is normal.
Brittney Walley, of the Nipmuc people, spoke about the Indigenous Peoples Day bill, which would replace Columbus Day in the MA General Laws. She began by explaining the insensitivity and the complete nonnecessity of Columbus Day. “Columbus never even stepped foot in what would become Massachusetts,” and he “is a forefather of systemic racism and the genocide of the indigenous peoples of the Americas,” committing atrocities that were replicated here in the Commonwealth. Rather than perpetuating an incorrect and harmful history, the establishment of Indigenous Peoples Day allows for celebration and education about indigenous communities in the Americas.
Shawna Newcomb, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag, expanded on the harm caused by native mascots. As a public school teacher, when she introduces herself as Mashpee Wampanoag to her new class each year, none of her students know what she is talking about. Newcomb explained that her students’ only perceptions of indigenous people are the stereotypical images such as those portrayed by native mascots. “Because I wasn’t wearing this headdress before them, they couldn’t accept the fact that I was Native American.” Her school district retired the use of a native mascot in 2020 with no hindrance on the success of their programs, making support for the termination of native mascots a “no-brainer.”
On behalf of Indigenous Peoples Day, Heather Leavell of Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples Day denounced rhetoric that Columbus Day celebrates Italian Americans and makes up for the discrimination they have historically experienced: “because of these experiences, we should have zero tolerance for oppression of others.”
The Civic Engagement Coordinator for NAICOB, Reggi Alkiewicz, who is Canadian Inuit and Haitian, spoke about the need for a commission to support American Indian and Alaska Native students in the Commonwealth. Speaking from their own experience as one of the only indigenous students in their Western MA public school district with a native mascot, Alkiewicz explained their struggles with self-identity growing up. Establishing a commission to support indigenous youth will show the state’s commitment to “reducing those educational, financial, and literal barriers of safety and support,” experienced by so many.
Pierite spoke again, describing his school experience and struggles in history classes because his story was not being told due to the racism and erasure of indigenous history in public school curriculums. He told a striking story about his mother, a public school teacher, and the racism and discrimination faced in school, reinforcing the vitality of educating indigenous and non-native children about the rich culture and history of indigenous people. Pierite also touched on protecting Native American heritage, informing listeners of the excavation of his ancestral village in Louisiana and the leasing of remains to the Harvard Peabody Museum and other entities. He called for the protection of Native American heritage, emphasizing that “we need to stop the theft of our children, of our women, and of our ancestors.”
Laurel Davis-Delano, Professor of Sociology at Springfield College, used research findings to reinforce the MILA, explaining that native mascots have been proven to be educationally harmful. Davis-Delano also explained how there is a lack of coverage on contemporary Native Americans and issues tribal nations face today in public school curriculums, and how Native American students in the US are below average on most education measures, making the bill on establishing a commission relative to the education of indigenous students crucial.
The briefing closed with an update by Rhonda Anderson, Inupiat-Athabascan, on the Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission, which has been seeking potential new designs, many of which include nature based symbols that are found in Massachusetts.
Leaving the State House, I felt inspired by these empowered indigenous leaders. While this was a great launch for the 2025-2026 Indigenous legislative agenda, it is only the beginning of the advocacy that is needed this legislative session. I urge you all to contact your state representatives and encourage them to support MILA by following this link. To all of my fellow allies, as Anderson said while quoting Nikki Sanchaz, “This history is not your fault, but it is your responsibility.”
Grace Cowell is a Northeastern University undergraduate, a MAPA intern, and a member of MAPA’s Indigenous Solidarity Action Group
