The Juneteenth flag is a symbol for the

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the End of slavery in the United States, ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's n ...

holiday in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The first version was created in 1997 by activist Ben Haith and that early version was displayed in 1997. The present version was first flown in 2000. The colors and symbols on the flag are representative of freedom and the end of slavery. The date on the flag represents that of

General Order No. 3 General Order No. 3 was an American legal decree issued in 1865 enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation to the residents of the U.S. state of Texas and freeing all remaining slaves in the state. The general order was issued by Union General ...

issued in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

on June 19, 1865. Beginning in 2020, many states began recognizing Juneteenth by flying the flag over their state capitol buildings, especially after Juneteenth was declared a

federal holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

the following year.

Design

The Juneteenth flag was designed in 1997 by activist Ben Haith (also known as "Boston Ben"). Haith displayed the first version of the Juneteenth flag in June 1997 at Boston's

John Eliot Square District John Eliot Square District is a historic district (United States), historic district located in the northern Roxbury, Boston, Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is formed by the intersection of Dudley, Bartlett, Centre, Roxbury ...

. It was described by Patricia Smith of the ''Boston Globe'' as, "A banner adorned with sunbursts and flaming candles". A revised design was copyrighted by Haith in 2000. Haith also founded the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF). Lisa Jeanne Graf reports that as an illustrator she fine-tuned the design for the NJCF. The flag uses the colors red, white and blue of the

American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

. Featured prominently in the center of the flag is a bursting star. Running through the center of the flag horizontally, is an arc that is meant to symbolize the new horizon of opportunity for black people. According to the president of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation Steve Williams, the star is a "Bursting star of freedom." Williams also states that the arch representing the horizon shows blue above and the red color below is symbolic of the ground soaked with blood; the blood which was shed of the Black Americans enslaved by the United States. The red, white, and blue colors were meant to convey the message that all enslaved people in the United States -- as well as their descendants -- are American. In 2007, the date "June 19, 1865" was added.

Symbolism

The five-pointed star refers both to Texas (nicknamed the "Lone Star state") and to the "freedom of African Americans in all 50 states". Surrounding it is a 12-ray nova (or "new star") representing a new beginning for all. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, declared that all slaves in the rebel Confederate States were free. The State of Texas rejoined the Union with the end of the Civil War on April 9, 1865. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived at the port of Galveston, Texas and announced that slavery had been ended with

. The Juneteenth Flag has the date of June 19, 1865 displayed on it. One year later freed slaves in Texas celebrated the first Juneteenth on June 19, and it was called "Jubilee Day".

History

The flag was first flown in 2000, at

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

's Roxbury Heritage State Park. Ben Haith initiated the Boston flag raising. Beginning in 2020 in the United States, several state governors ordered the Juneteenth flag to be raised over their capitol buildings on June 19. In 2020, Wisconsin Governor

Tony Evers Anthony Steven Evers ( ; born November 5, 1951) is an American politician and educator serving since 2019 as the 46th governor of Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2009 to 2019 as Wisconsin's 26th superintendent of p ...

ordered the flag to be flown for the month of June. When the flag was raised in Wisconsin, state senator

Lena Taylor Lena C. Taylor (born July 25, 1966) is an American lawyer, judge, and former politician serving as a Wisconsin circuit courts, Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, since January 2024. She previously served 19 years as a Democratic Pa ...

of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus celebrated by raising their fists. Also in 2020 the flag was raised over the

Cincinnati City Hall Cincinnati City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of Cincinnati, Ohio. Completed in 1893, the Richardsonian Romanesque structure was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 11, 1972. The building was designed by ...

. In Illinois, Governor

JB Pritzker Jay Robert Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2019 as the 43rd governor of Illinois. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker has started several vent ...

ordered the flag to be flown above the

Illinois State Capitol The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the legislative and executive branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. Becoming the seat of the legislature in 1876, the current building is the sixth to serve ...

on June 19, 2021. In 2021 President Joe Biden signed a law marking Juneteenth as a federal holiday. In 2020 the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

raised the Juneteenth flag over

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

. The

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

celebrated Juneteenth by flying the flag alongside their Nebraska flag in 2020. The Juneteenth Flag was displayed at Fenway Park on June 19, 2022 along with the Flag of the United States of America.

References

External links

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Video - Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. Here is the meaning behind the flag
{{Juneteenth Juneteenth Flags of the United States Flags introduced in 1997 African-American flags

Design

Symbolism

History

See also

References

External links