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Date: 6/21/2023
BELCHERTOWN — Charlotte Cassidy and David Detmold presented a citizen’s petition at Town Meeting on May 8 to see if the town would vote to support a resolution of changing the state flag and seal of Massachusetts.
The vote was approved 91 to 59.
“We are putting Belchertown on the map as a Massachusetts town that approves and supports the change of flag and seal. We would join 60 plus other Massachusetts towns who have voted in favor including our neighboring towns Amherst, Pelham, South Hadley to name a few,” Cassidy said.
Detmold is coordinator of ChangetheMassFlag.org and is helping with the fight of the ongoing movement and statewide vote to replace images that represents the historical genocide and threats against Native American people.
He said, “I have been working with volunteers throughout the commonwealth to take a closer look at the state flag and the seal that it is based on and to actually bring these resolutions forward.”
In January 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 Massachusetts nations to sit with state legislators, historians and others to recommend changes to the state symbol.
Past Gov. Charlie Baker set up a special bipartisan commission and appointed 19 members from both parties and six indigenous nations in the state.
In 2022, the commission unanimously agreed that the flag is causing harm and should be revised and recommended a total revision of the Massachusetts flag and seal.
According to Detmold, for over 40 years Indigenous leaders have been calling for the flag and 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,” he added.
Detmold said the commission has until November 2023 to conduct polls and find out what the people in the state would like to see for a new symbol.
Detmold added, “If Belchertown were to join with the 64 other cities and towns that have basically approved the same language, it would send a message to your local legislators and to the legislatures as a whole that it is time to get this done.”