Deadline Extended on Anti-Columbus Day Bill
The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight has extended the deadline for public comment on the House and Senate bills that would eliminate Columbus Day as a state holiday and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day until July 15th.
These bills amount to a slap in the face to all Italian Americans in Massachusetts. It is critical that you email your opposition to your state legislators and the members of this committee.
Email addresses for committee members, instructions on how to find your state legislators, and a sample email are all listed below.
The 2 bills currently before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight are:
S.2027 (Senate) An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day
H.3191 (House) An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day
The text of the bills state:
"Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 12V and inserting in place thereof the following section:–
Section 12V. The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day and recommending that it be observed by the people, with appropriate exercises in the schools and otherwise, to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous peoples, and to recognize and celebrate the thriving cultures and continued resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples and their tribal nations."
If we can convince the chair of the committee not to take action on the bill it will die in committee and be ineligible to come up for the rest of the year!
Please read the following helpful instructions on how you can reach your elected representatives and the Committee Chairs. Please reference these bills in your correspondence: S.2027 & H.3191
Thank you,
IAA Save Columbus Day Committee
You can find your state legislators by visiting this website:
https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator
Also please CC the following State House leadership & committee members in your email to your legislators:
Christopher.Markey@mahouse.gov
If you would like, please use the sample email below. Fill in the appropriate information and send to your Representatives and Senators.
You can also phone the offices of the chairs of the committee:
House Committee Chairman Tony Cabral: 617-722-2017
Senate Committee Chairman Marc Pacheco: 617-722-1551
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SUBJECT: Bill H3191/S2027 To replace Columbus Day with IPD
**Date**
Dear (your State Representative),
I am writing to you regarding the pending bill to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a State Holiday.
I believe Italian-Americans should be recognized and respected by not taking Columbus Day away from them as a State Holiday. No other group is expected to have their day merged with another group’s. It is disrespectful both to Italian Americans as well as the Native American communities. It is not only important to Italian Americans, but has also been a proud part of America history and tradition.
There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian-Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.
As one of your voting constituents, I urge you to not support this Bill and keep Columbus Day as is. I also suggest that the day after Thanksgiving be recognized as Native American Heritage Day and that the entire month of November be Native American Heritage Month as already declared by proclamation by the Federal Government. Both groups deserve to preserve and protect their cultural heritage and it isn’t fair to take away one people’s holiday and replace it with another, especially when there are other available days appropriate for celebration.
Very Respectfully,
XXXXXXX