A Closer Look at the Mass Flag & Seal - Wayland Public Library

One of the articles to be voted on at the May 13th Wayland Town Meeting, is a resolution in support of changing the state flag & seal of Massachusetts. Indigenous leaders have been calling for this change for more than 50 years. Join Faries Gray and David Detmold to learn about the violent history and impact of our state symbols, and about the movement to create symbols that better express the ideals of the Commonwealth.

Faries Gray is the Sagamore (War Chief) of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, as well as one of the Massachusett tribal historians. For the last 20 years, Faries has worked with multiple cities, towns, schools, colleges, and universities to educate them about the Massachusett Tribe during the early years of colonization.Presently Faries is working with all the historic tribes within the Commonwealth to lobby for schools and our representatives to ban the use of Indigenous mascots in all public schools in the Commonwealth. Faries works part time for the NITHPO office of the MedicineMan for the Narragansett Tribe. This work includes identifying ceremonial landscapes in the effort to prevent these landscapes from being developed.

David Detmold is the coordinator of changethemassflag.com. He has worked with volunteers in 90 cities and towns to bring resolutions of support for changing the flag and seal of Massachusetts to town meetings and city councils, from the Berkshires to Cape Cod. As of March, 2024, 79 Massachusetts cities and towns have taken formal votes in support of that change. David is the founding editor of the independent weekly newspaper, the Montague Reporter, and served for 20 years as an elected town meeting member in Montague.

CONTACT: Courtney Michael 508-358-2311 cmichael@minlib.net
LOCATION: Raytheon Room OR Zoom
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