The Meaningful Juneteenth Day Flag
A piece of design has to have meaning, otherwise is mere decoration. What attracted me most about graphic design was the idea that a designer communicates through symbols, images, colors, and the endless combination of them and many more. One of the most exciting jobs for a graphic designer is …
A piece of design has to have meaning, otherwise is mere decoration. What attracted me most about graphic design was the idea that a designer communicates through symbols, images, colors, and the endless combination of them and many more.
One of the most exciting jobs for a graphic designer is the design of a flag. How does one represent a nation, a community, a set of values, a movement, an ideology? Today, I’m honored to feature the Juneteenth Day flag. A flag that I hope one day soon will be flying over state capitols and city buildings not only on June 19 but every day of the year.
Even though, it was on June 19, 1865 the enslaved black people of Galveston, Texas, became free Americans under the law, it took over 130 years for a flag that celebrates this historical day was designed. The Juneteenth flag was conceived by activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF) in 1997 with help of collaborators. Boston-based illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graff brought Haith’s vision to life. In 2000 the flag was revised into the current version.
Four elements make the design: a star, a burst, an arc, and a limited color palette. What do they all mean?
THE STAR
The white star in the center means twofold, number one, Texas, the Lone Start State. It was in Galveston in 1865 where Union soldiers informed the country’s last remaining slaves that under the Emancipation Proclamation issue two years earlier, they were free and number two, the freedom of all African Americans across all the 50 states.
THE BURST
The inspiration for the burst outline around the star came from a nova, a term that astronomers use when talking about a new star. In this beautiful flag, the burst represents a new beginning for all African Americans of Galveston and from the entire country.
THE ARC
That curve that extends the entire width of the flag represents a new horizon. It stands for the opportunities and promise that lay ahead for the African American people.
THE COLORS
The red, white and blue come from the colors of the American flag, a remainder that slaves and their descendants were and are Americans.
I’m happy to see this important flag popping up on my Instagram feed – Below are a few posts. Happy belated Juneteenth Day world!