Unveiling of Native Spaces – Indigenous Street Signs Project this Friday

Event alert! You’re invited to attend a special unveiling and celebration on Friday, November 29 at 2pm at the intersection of Third and Binney Streets in East Cambridge.

Dr. David Shane Lowry and Ms. Sage Carbone hold one of the new street signs installed in East Cambridge, displaying both the Massachusett and English languages

The City of Cambridge and members of the local Massachusett tribe will unveil newly installed street signs in East Cambridge that will be presented in both the Massachusett and English languages.

With the goal of expanding recognition of Indigenous Peoples in Cambridge, the community voted through the City of Cambridge’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) process to fund a series of markers and signs that acknowledge the continuous presence of Native Peoples, both before and after white settlement, and to educate residents and visitors about their lives and traditions. The first phase of this PB project was to translate the numbered street names in East Cambridge into the Massachusett language and install new street signs from First to Eighth streets. A dedicated City of Cambridge website will also introduce the project and serve as a landing page for future project elements and programming. View the new Native Spaces webpage here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/nativespaces

The event will include remarks from local Indigenous advocates and representatives with the City, an unveiling of the street signs, and a group photo opportunity.

All are invited to attend! In the event of poor weather, the alternate location will be held indoors at The Foundry building on Third and Rogers Street.

The event location is accessible via the MBTA’s Red Line and the Kendall Square Station. Interpreters will be available upon advanced request. Please call (617) 349-4396 or email accesshelp@cambridgema.gov to request assistance.

If you are interested in learning more about this project and event, please contact Sarah Burks at the Cambridge Historical Commission: sburks@cambridgema.gov.