71° and Fog
Image
Above, an image from an Italian American Alliance mailing.
There will be a hearing today, Wednesday, June 4th at 11am at the State House in the Gardner auditorium, regarding two bills, H3292 (sponsored by Rep Christine Barber (D), Somerville) and S2113 (sponsored by Sen Joanne Comerford (D), Northampton) which if approved would replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day in Massachusetts.
The bills, H3292 and S2113 must receive a favorable recommendation from the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight in order to move forward in the current legislative session. The hearing is a part of that process.
Meanwhile, State Representatives Jeffry Turco (D), Revere, and David DeCoste (R), Norwell, have introduced a bill H3419 which would establish Indigenous People's Day on August 9th of each year and leave Columbus Day untouched. The Italian American Alliance (IAA), an organization that actively supports a wide slate of holidays and recognitions linked to racial or ethnic identities, says they support this bill.
According to the IAA, while the opportunity to register to testify in person has passed, individuals can still attend the meeting to show support for Columbus Day, who supporters say helped knit humanity into one entity.
Written testimony, can still be submitted. The emails for the committee are:
