Contact your legislators and ask them to support the Indigenous Legislative Agenda!

Indigenous leaders in Massachusetts need our help to get co-sponsors for five Indigenous rights bills for the 2022-23 legislative session: celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, eliminate racist school mascots, include Indigenous cultures and history in curricula, protect Native heritage, and support the education and futures of Native youth. More information on these bills can be found on the MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda website.

Please use this form to email your state legislators and urge them to co-sponsor these five bills. It’s quick and easy! Please add your own words (original letters have the most impact) and share an anecdote about your unique perspective as an Italian American.

*Bonus points for following up the email with quick calls to your legislators’ offices!

Sign Our Statement

Help us build a strong base of Italian Americans who support Indigenous Peoples Day by signing our statement:

We are Italian Americans who stand in solidarity with Native peoples across Massachusetts who are advocating for the passage of a statewide bill that would rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. We believe that a holiday that celebrates the resilience of Indigenous peoples is far more truthful and uplifting than one that honors a man whose legacy is characterized by conquest, slavery, and genocide.

While Italian Americans enjoy recognition and status in this country, these are not privileges afforded to Native peoples. Studies have shown that they are essentially invisible in our society. This perception is caused by racial stereotypes that dehumanize them; white Americans’ lack of interaction with them; biased history taught in schools; and insufficient curricula on past and present Indigenous cultures. For them, the celebration of a man responsible for the genocide of their ancestors is another painful reminder of the ways in which they continue to be made invisible.

By championing Indigenous Peoples Day, we celebrate the diverse histories and cultures of this land’s First Peoples and their many contributions to modern society. We correct false histories, begin to make amends for past atrocities, and support Indigenous struggles for justice. We also honor our own ancestors who persevered in this country despite being victimized for their ethnicity, and we follow the example of the many Italian Americans throughout this country’s history who fought for civil and human rights for all.

SIGN OUR STATEMENT

Sign our statement as an ally! (non Italian American organizations and individuals)

We are building a coalition of support from nonprofit and social justice organizations, municipal commissions, public figures, business owners, and other allies. There is a field on our statement to indicate your are signing as an ally.