Should Salem Change City Seal After Historical Review?

SALEM, MA — Salem is looking for community members to join a task force to conduct a historical review of the official city seal amid criticism that it is racially insensitive and historically inappropriate with its depiction of a Sumatran spice merchant.

The task force's final report will be provided to the City Council and mayor. Ultimately, any changes to the seal would require a vote by the City Council and approval by the mayor.

• 'History Changes': Salem Task Force To Tackle Spirited City Seal Debate

The City Council voted 8-3 on Sept. 26 to form the task force after a divided public comment among those who view the seal as an important part of the city's history that should not be altered and those who say the use of a Southeast Asian merchant is exploitive and may promote distorted viewpoint of that history from the Sumatran perspective.

The task force will include five residents and two historians, appointed through the mayor's office and confirmed through the City Council, and will have up to 18 months to gather information, solicit and listen to public testimony, and then make a recommendation to the City Council to maintain or change the seal.

At least two of the task force members are prescribed to be members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including one who is under the age of 18. There will also be designees from the Race Equity Commission, the mayor, and the City Clerk.

Those interested in being considered for appointment to the City Seal Task Force should submit a resume and cover letter to mayor@salem.com no later than noon on Nov. 22. In your cover letter please specify how you represent a relevant constituency and any expertise you will bring to the task force.

According to Destination Salem, the seal was commissioned by the city to be designed by George Peabody in 1839. Peabody was a descendant of some of Salem's greatest pepper merchants and was himself a ship owner. Rather than depicting a scene of Salem, Peabody thought it fitting to
draw a figure representative of a Sumatran merchant as a reference to where the pepper trade first began.

Since 1839, the seal has been used on official city documents and records. In addition, using the seal on anything other than documents pertaining to official City of Salem business is a violation of state law and local ordinances.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)