Brookline Select Board To Vote On Boston Marathon Permit Aug. 31

Brookline MA

25 August, 2021

2:12 PM

Description

BROOKLINE, MA — The Brookline Select Board is set to vote on the 125th Boston Marathon's special use permit on August 31 after delaying the vote at the July 27 meeting, with some members arguing that marathon organizers had not done enough to recognize that the race is scheduled to take place on October 11, which is locally celebrated as Indigenous Peoples Day. Since April, the activist group Indigenous Peoples Day Newton has been attempting to convince the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) to reschedule the race, launching a petition that currently has over 41,000 signatures. "Unfortunately, the Boston Athletic Association has decided that Indigenous Peoples Day is a 'side' holiday that can be usurped," says the petition. "By doing this, they are perpetuating the myth that Indigenous peoples are part of the past and irrelevant. They are also maintaining the falsehood that non-Indigenous desires and ideas are more valuable than the wants and ideas of Indigenous peoples." "The BAA has the chance to acknowledge the importance of keeping the spotlight on Indigenous Peoples Day rather than steal the spotlight for the Marathon," it continues. The vote delay came after Brookline Select Board members spoke out against the BAA's decision last month and Vice Chairman Raul Fernandez said organizers need to work harder at acknowledging the scheduling controversy, arguing that establishing Indigenous Peoples Day in Brookline "did not come easy." "I really would like to see a more public-facing acknowledgement by the BAA, at a minimum," said Fernandez at the July 27 meeting. "But then also, what does reparations look like for this, too? What kind of contributions is the BAA planning to make beyond some banners or some mentions during the race on TV or something? What is the BAA going to actually do to improve the conditions of indigenous people today and to highlight those communities?" "I think it is something that deserves discussion," agreed Select Board Member John VanScoyoc. "I just want to make it clear though that the tradition of the BAA marathon is one of the things that makes people feel really good about Boston, it's one of the things that is most appreciated about Boston." "We are going to work it out," he continued. Patch has reached out to the BAA for more information about how Indigenous People's Day will be celebrated at the Boston Marathon and will update this article when we hear back.