AUGUST 23, 2025 — The Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission, established by the state legislature in 2024, has recently announced the next step in its ongoing effort to redesign the Commonwealth’s official symbols.
After receiving over 1,150 public submissions, the Advisory Commission has advanced a total of 23 seal designs, 48 flag designs, and 32 mottos to the second round of evaluation. The designs can be viewed here.
The original seal and flag imagery, which includes controversial depictions of Native American figures and colonial-era symbols, has long been criticized by Indigenous leaders and many residents as not reflective of the Commonwealth’s values of peace, justice, equality, and inclusion.
The Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission will hold its next public meeting on Thursday, August 28.
