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During the June 11 meeting of the Sudbury Select Board, it sounded like Sudbury might be heading in the same direction as neighboring Concord with regard to the tercentenary markers around town. The tercentenary markers were erected by the State in 1930 to celebrate the 300-year anniversary of the founding of the Bay Colony. They depict various historical events with short, written passages. Some of the signs have been deemed historically inaccurate and offensive to Native people by Sudbury’s Historical Commission. (1:05:30)
The Select Board received input from that commission, as well as the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and there seems to be consensus that something should be done. Concord removed their signs earlier this year, following a vote of their Select Board in late 2023 to remove the signs “for maintenance.” Get the complete, and brilliantly reported, story from the Concord Bridge here.
The Sudbury Select Board had a mixture of opinions. Multiple members were clearly opposed to keeping any signs that were offensive to Native people. But others contemplated how they might be preserved for educational purposes. Member Carty suggested that the signs stay up, but a second sign could be added with more current information or context. (1:19:00)
No final decisions were made regarding the markers on Tuesday. The Select Board is going to rely on the Historical Commission to advise further on the rest of the signs before moving forward with anything.
[A version of this story first ran in the June 14 edition of the Sudbury Weekly email newsletter]