Where is Massachusetts’ new flag? Inside the 2025 delay

Heather Morrison

Wed, December 31, 2025 at 7:03 PM UTC

18 min read

Massachusetts may not have a new state flag next year despite receiving over 1,000 submissions.
The Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission was established in 2024 to propose a new seal, flag, and motto for the commonwealth.
The current flag features English militia leader Myles Standish poised to strike an indigenous person, sparking protests from Indigenous people who find the symbol egregious.

Despite receiving more than 1,000 submissions , Massachusetts still might not have a new state flag next year.

The Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission was established by the state Legislature in 2024 to propose a new seal, flag and motto of the commonwealth. Currently, the flag features English militia leader Myles Standish gripping a saber over the head of an indigenous person as if he's poised to strike.

Standish attacked multiple Native American settlements in the 1600s. Latin motto "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" outlines the seal. The motto roughly translates to: "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."

Indigenous people spent years protesting the flag.

In July 2021 , John Peters of Native descent and executive director of Massachusetts Indian Affairs, told the commission that the current symbol on the flag is truthful to "what happened to us Native people in the commonwealth." He hopes the commission can change the symbol to something that isn't so "egregious to Native Americans," something that can represent Massachusetts' diverse cultures.

A previous group began meeting to officially make changes in 2021. But by 2023, the group was not able to finish redesigning the flag.

A final report was submitted November 2023 with information for a new commission to consider.

"For example, the mayflower connects back to the colonial era and the Pilgrims, whose actions included the forced displacement of Indigenous people. The cranberry, one Commission member noted, conjures mixed feelings among some Indigenous residents due to its relationship to colonialism," the report states.

Several Indigenous members also expressed support for "keeping an Indigenous figure in the heraldic charge as a way to prevent additional erasure of their communities from the official history and iconography of the commonwealth," the report states.

It also suggested that Massachusetts should dedicate more resources to educating the public about the Indigenous history and cultures of Massachusetts, the history and usages of the current seal and motto, the harm inflicted by the current seal and motto and the efforts to change the seal and motto.

The new commission sought ideas from the public.

Anyone was able to submit ideas but only 23 seals, 48 flags and 32 mottos were picked by the commission to make it to the next round of consideration.

From there, the commission chose three seals, three flags and three mottos.

But there continued to be concern that these weren't the right final three during a hearing on Aug. 28.

There was supposed to be multiple public hearings in September and October to gather input from the public. The commission wanted people to point out flaws, make changes or even add new suggestions.

But those meetings didn't happen. Instead, the education subcommittee met multiple times.

The full commission didn't meet again until Dec. 17, two days after the deadline to produce its recommendations.

"This process is not about rushing toward an outcome. It is about ensuring that before any decisions are considered, we've done the work of understanding," Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, co-chair of the Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Commission, said at the December meeting. "Understanding where the symbols come from, how their meanings have shifted over time, and how different communities experience them today. That kind of work takes time, and it takes care. It also takes leadership."

Tutwiler then announced the committee is seeking additional time "so we can complete this work with the level of education, engagement and care that it deserves."

One of the issues pointed out during the December meeting was that the way the rubric was weighted "may have unintentionally placed greater emphasis on design features than on representation."

The committee found it important to learn about the history and the Indigenous community before adjusting again.

A presentation for education on this history and the communities was made during the meeting.

The Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission has advanced 23 seals, 48 flags and 32 mottos to the second round of scoring. Here are those possible options.

The second round submissions will be rescored using a recalibrated rubric "that gives equal weight to both representation and design features." All scoring is expected to be completed by 5 p.m. on Jan. 9.

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