To the Brookline community,

We believe it’s important to maintain transparency and provide updates as we move through the process of reevaluating the name of our paper.

Over the summer, members of our staff researched the current indigenous presence in Massachusetts, as well as the indigenous history of Brookline. We have been looking specifically into the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag, an indigenous group that uses the word “Sagamore,” synonymous with the more common term “Sac’hem,” to denote a leader.

As we continue to look into our name, our research team aims to educate both our staff and the broader community. We are committed to increasing our coverage of indigenous culture and establishing ourselves as a paper that represents and is attentive to indigenous communities.

We will continue to update our readership as this process unfolds. Please feel free to email us ([email protected]) with any thoughts or questions; we welcome your feedback.

Sincerely,
Eleanor Bergstein, Anisa Sharma and Anya Rao
Editors-in-Chief