Indigenous Peoples' Day and the 2021 Boston Marathon
By Adam Devine
(He/him)
The Boston Marathon holds a special place in the running community as not only one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors but also arguably the most iconic foot race in the world. The strive for runners to get their "BQ" (Boston Qualifying) time is pervasive, and even runners who aren't fast enough to qualify (like myself) dream of competing through a charity bib or other means.
This year the marathon was moved from the spring, when it is normally part of the Patriot's Day celebrations in Boston, to October 11th due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many event organizers, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) struggled to find an appropriate time to reschedule their event given the particularities of the pandemic. October 11th seemed a logical option as it is a federal holiday on a Monday and keeps with the Monday race-day tradition; the date ultimately was selected by the BAA. However, the association failed to appropriately account for who and what their event would be displacing.
October 11th is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Having the holiday referred to as such is a challenge but it garners respect and recognition for the indigenous community who have not received enough throughout this country’s history. The community had already planned many events for that weekend that did not include a footrace involving 30,000 runners. The BAA had not initially reached out to the organizations in the indigenous community to find ways to work with their groups, and instead moved forward with planning the marathon.
In July, one of the communities along the Marathon route, Brookline, was scheduled to hold a vote on the special use permit for the race. Instead, they publicly delayed their vote to draw attention to the implications the race would have on planned Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrations. Organizers seemed surprised that their permit was not granted approval. The Brookline Indigenous People Celebration Committee and other groups had attempted to contact the BAA to discuss the scheduling conflict, but were unsuccessful in getting a response from them.
It was only after Brookline’s permit vote was delayed that the BAA agreed to meet with the Indigenous People Celebration Committee. After that meeting, the BAA released an updated plan to work with and promote the indigenous community in and around Boston. More importantly, the Indigenous People Celebration Committee has stated that they are satisfied with the discourse that has resulted from their protest. They are now willing to promote the BAA's new plan to highlight Indigenous Peoples’ Day and work more with the indigenous community in and around Boston as part of their race day plans in 2021 and in the years to come.
Members of our club and the running community in general have experienced mixed emotions about supporting the race this year given the above situation. The Diversity Committee reached out to the Indigenous People Celebration Committee and inquired how best to balance supporting and being respectful to their mission while also cheering on our teammates at the race. We received the following suggestions from the Town of Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations:
On Saturday Oct 9th there will be a rally and march for Indigenous Peoples Day in Boston – beginning at 11:30AM at the Park St Station by Boston Common.
The Brookline Indigenous Peoples Celebration Committee, in partnership with the Native American Indian Center of Boston and the Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations is hosting the 2021 Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration to be held on Saturday October 9th from 2-4PM in the Coolidge Corner area at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School (345 Harvard St at the Stedman St. Entrance) Cafeteria and Playground. Join us for free food from Manoa Poke Shop, shop at and support various local Indigenous art and craft vendor booths, learn about the history and current political and social justice actions of Indigenous peoples in Brookline and throughout Massachusetts and join in on some storytelling! This event is free for fall and open to the public! The Town of Brookline’s mask mandate for indoor spaces will be complied with.
Make a donation to the Native American Indian Center of Boston if you’d like to allow them to continue their work in the Indigenous community of the Greater Boston area and statewide through programing and services.
A calendar of other Indigenous People's Day celebrations can also be found here.
If you are running the Boston Marathon, congrats on the achievement! Your team is proud of you. If you are cheering for someone who is participating in the Marathon this year we hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as we do. Either way, we encourage you to either participate in one of these events or to make a donation as requested as well. We, as runners, are lucky to have a space held for us to participate in our recreation of choice. However, we also encourage you to consider that making space for us can limit the space available for others, and we should strive to limit the negative impact our recreation has on others. Keep being excellent to each other.
PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.
*thumbnail from Indigenous Peoples’ Day Newton Group
**more resources:
-2021 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Events in MA flyer