Carol Rein testified to two issues at a hearing in Boston at the Massachusetts State House on November 19, 2019. Other Quaker speakers were Andy Grant (Mt. Toby, MA, Friends Meeting) and Nancy Cirillo and Skip Schiel (both of Cambridge, MA, Friends Meeting).
Carol's testimony:
Resolve S 1877 and H 2776 each support creation of a special commission relative to the seal and motto of the Commonwealth. I support these because our state flag and seal are offensive to Native Americans, as they should be to all of us, because they remind us of the violent conquest of indigenous people in Massachusetts. At some point in the past, the image used on the Massachusetts Turnpike was changed from a pilgrim's hat with an arrow through it because its offensiveness was recognized.
When we are routinely exposed to images like these, we absorb implicit messages without being entirely conscious of them. These particular images position indigenous peoples as enemies, other, different, each of which promotes exclusion and separation, the opposite of what we want to promote among the people of our state.
I oppose H 2719, labeled as an act prohibiting discrimination in state contracts, which actually would penalize those who boycott for Palestinian rights. It was defeated last year and refiled. The right to boycott is an essential part of our First Amendment Rights. We must preserve it.
I am a Quaker and, as such, boycotting is often an important part of my nonviolent approach to encouraging and securing a desired change. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Israel and Palestine and to witness firsthand the sharp differences in their rights and opportunities in their roads, their access to water and electricity, and their personal freedoms. Penalizing anyone wanting to boycott for Palestinian rights is not an acceptable path for us.