The Flag and the Poem of Juneteenth
The flag of Juneteenth is rectangle-shaped like nations’ flags in general. According to CNN, the flag is the brainchild of activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF). Haith created the flag in 1997 with the help of collaborators, and Boston-based illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf brought their vision to life. According to the National Juneteenth Observation Foundation, the flag was revised in 2000 into the version we know today. This flag is full of meaning and here we summarize from CNN:
The Star
Haith said that the white star in the center of the flag has a dual meaning
Firstly, it represents Texas, the Lone Star State. It was in Galveston in 1865 where Union soldiers informed the country’s last remaining enslaved people that, under the Emancipation Proclamation issued two years earlier, they were free. But the star also goes beyond Texas, representing the freedom of African Americans in all 50 states.
The Burst
The bursting outline around the star is inspired by a nova, a term that astronomers use to mean a new star. On the Juneteenth flag, this represents a new beginning for the African Americans of Galveston and throughout the land.
The Arc
The curve that extends across the width of the flag represents a new horizon: the opportunities and promise that lay ahead for black Americans.
The Colors
The red, white, and blue represent the American flag, a reminder that slaves and their descendants were and are Americans.
The Date
June 19, 1865, represents the day that enslaved black people in Galveston, Texas, became Americans under the law.
Read Also: Little Portrait: Juneteenth in the History
And this is the official of Poem for The Juneteenth from juneteenth.com
From Africa’s heart, we rose
Already a people, our faces ebon, our bodies lean,
We rose
Skills of art, life, beauty and family
Crushed by forces we knew nothing of, we rose
Survive we must, we did,
We rose
We rose to be you, we rose to be me,
Above everything expected, we rose
To become the knowledge we never knew,
We rose
Dream, we did
Act we must
Kristina Kay, We Rose © 1996, Juneteenth.com
Originally published at http://aboveeidea.home.blog on June 27, 2020.
