Massachusetts is one step closer to adopting a new state flag after a legislative commission narrowed down more than 1,000 public submissions to three final designs.
Why It Matters
The proposed flags, which are still under review, reflect efforts to replace symbols viewed as outdated or offensive, particularly by Indigenous communities.
The Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission, created by the state legislature in 2021, is tasked with redesigning the state’s official symbols. The current flag, which features a Native American beneath a colonial sword, has drawn criticism for years from Native groups and lawmakers. In 2022, the commission unanimously voted to recommend changing the seal and motto, calling the current imagery “egregious.”
The change would affect how Massachusetts presents itself on flags, seals, building signage and official stationery, a practical and symbolic shift that carries implications for education, cultural recognition and state identity. The commission’s work built on earlier efforts begun in 2021 and resumed after a prior panel disbanded in 2023 without choosing replacements.
What To Know
The review represents an attempt by state officials to replace a symbol that many Indigenous leaders and others had called offensive, and to adopt imagery they said would better reflect the Bay State’s diversity and history. The state presented the finalists on its official project page, and the commission engaged a Concord-based consulting firm, Eastern Research Group (ERG), to help craft final recommendations…