Newton Mayor Responds To Outcry Over Boston Marathon Date

NEWTON, MA — Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said there's room for the city to celebrate both the Boston Marathon and Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 11, after hundreds of people signed a petition calling for the organization behind the marathon to reschedule.

"While the pandemic has made so many things more complicated" she said in an email, "we are excited to celebrate both Indigenous Peoples Day and the Boston Marathon in Newton on October 11."

>> Also read: Native Americans: Move Boston Marathon From Oct. 11 Holiday

Fuller said that although Newton has the longest stretch of the Marathon course, which means it will require a lot of Newton staffing, the city was planing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on a field at Newton South High School.

Last week, the Indigenous Peoples Day Committee in Newton posted a petition calling on the Boston Athletic Association to move the date, which was rescheduled from April because of the pandemic, for the historic race because it now falls on what was formerly Columbus Day, and now Indigenous Peoples Day in the city.

>>Read more: Newton Votes To Change Columbus Day To Indigenous Peoples Day.

The city council voted in November after much deliberation and controversy to enact the holiday, and 2021 was set to be the first year the city celebrated the day as a way to honor contributions of native peoples. Brookline, which is also home to the Marathon course, has recognized the day since 2017.

"Unfortunately, the Boston Athletic Association has decided that Indigenous Peoples Day is a 'side' holiday that can be usurped," the committee said in the petition, which has 1,600 signatures as of Thursday.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.