COF 2019 #29 : A communication was received from City Clerk Donna P. Lopez, transmitting a communication from Mayor McGovern, transmitting a memorandum regarding Committee Hearing by the Joint Committee on May 7, 2019 regarding An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day H.3665

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR mayor@cambridgema.gov Marc C. McGovern Phone: [phone removed] Mayor Fax: [phone removed] To: Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk From: Marc C. McGovern, Mayor Date: May 6, 2019 Subject: Submitting Letter from Mayor in Support of H.3665 An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day in Massachusetts Madame Clerk: Please include the attached letter “RE: Committee Hearing Regarding An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day H.3665” in Communications and Reports from City Officers of the Regular City Council Agenda for May 13, 2019. Thanks,

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR mayor@cambridgema.gov Marc C. McGovern Phone: [phone removed] Mayor Fax: [phone removed] Massachusetts State House Joint Committee of State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Committee 24 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02133 Attn: Senator Marc Pacheco, Chair Representative Danielle Gregoire, Chair Senator Barry Finegold, Vice Chair Representative Sean Garballey, Vice Chair May 7, 2019 RE: Committee Hearing Regarding An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day H.3665 To the Honorable Senator Pacheco and Representative Gregoire: Since 2016, Cambridge has observed the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day (IPD), an occasion which our community has adopted to celebrate our indigenous residents and their contributions to the vibrancy and richness of our city and the larger society. Last year, my Office sponsored a concert in Harvard Square featuring Frank Waln, a Lakota hip hop artist, and the Cambridge Public Library hosted an advance screening of the PBS series “Native America.” Our Office also hung banners in our public squares celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day and continues to partner with organizations such as Cultural Survival and the North American Indian Center of Boston to discuss native-centric curriculum and other educational opportunities for our community. We will soon begin planning IPD 2019 with an emphasis on reaffirming the themes and traditions of this nascent holiday. I offer Cambridge’s experience adopting Indigenous Peoples’ Day to underscore the occasion for joyful, enriching, and restorative celebrations that H.3665 “An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day” could replicate throughout the state. We too grappled with the painful legacy of colonialism, racism, and genocide during public comment on replacing Columbus Day (and continue to), and we too heard about the contributions of our Italian American residents to the city and its culture, a heritage for which they can be rightly proud. Yet, limiting conversation these two sides of the debate can obscure the opportunity Indigenous Peoples Day provides to move past old ways of viewing ourselves and our role in history.

I ask that “An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day” be reported out of committee favorably so that Massachusetts can take one step closer to joining a growing coalition of states—including Maine, Vermont, New Mexico, Alaska, and Minnesota—in recognizing this holiday. This important bill deserves a House vote this session and will need your committee’s favorable vote in order for the legislative process to continue. On a personal note, I want to add that as the great-grandson of Italian immigrants, I am very proud of my Italian heritage, but feel there are far better representatives of the community than Christopher Columbus. Cambridge no longer celebrates Columbus, but that does not mean that we have forgotten our Italian American residents. In addition to Indigenous Peoples Day, we still celebrate Italian heritage each year with a meal in the Council Chamber and the posting of the Italian flag. We are happy for the opportunity to explore this new tradition as well. Sincerely,