The African American Heritage Flag (or Black-American Heritage Flag) is a cultural emblem of African American people and their contributions to the United States. The flag’s creators intended for it to serve as a source of pride for African Americans and a symbol of optimism for the future as they fought for equal rights. As a symbol of the hardships endured during slavery’s ignominious era, the Black American Heritage Flag also honors the indisputable achievements of African Americans throughout the country’s history.
People all throughout the world have been flying their national flags to show their national pride for generations. This flag, which was designed in 1967, is now widely used by African Americans in the United States to celebrate and respect their heritage. In this article, we will further explore the history, design, and symbolism of the Black American Heritage Flag.
Brief History of the Black American Heritage Flag
In March of 1967, the Black American Heritage flag was formally adopted. Melvin Charles and Gleason T. Jackson were the ones responsible for designing the flag. After observing that no other racial or ethnic minority group possessed a flag to raise in parades, Charles made the decision to create the flag himself. He and Jackson, who designed the flag together, took it on a trip across the country to display it in places of worship, schools, and other public meetings. The Black American Heritage flag and its colors have been spotted at a number of events and venues ever since its rediscovery and resurgence on social media.
More About the Designers
The Black American Heritage Flag was created in 1967 by the late Gleason Jackson and Melvin Charles. However, the seed for this idea was planted far earlier when Charles observed that persons of Italian and Hispanic origin carried a flag at parades. When Melvin Charles was a kid, he went to a parade and saw a lot of floats with flags from other countries. The American flag stood out to him the most. However, African Americans did not display the flag during that time. At that time, leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Black Panther Party rose up to fight for equal rights for African Americans in the United States, sparking the Civil Rights Movement.
Charles & Jackson’s Black American Heritage Flag is the product of extensive deliberation, study, and purposeful design. Melvin Charles and Gleason T. Jackson, aware that Black Americans were distancing themselves from Africa, concluded that a flag should exist to represent the Black culture that emerged in the United States following the Atlantic Slave Trade of the 16th through the 19th centuries. Charles and Jackson designed a pattern that represents the strength, togetherness, and perseverance of African American culture, as well as the dedication and sacrifice that went into its creation in the United States. The Black Heritage flag is a symbol of the achievements of African Americans in the United States, which were made possible despite racism and oppression.
Charles has authored another work titled The Rallying Point. It’s about the fight to get the Black American Heritage Flag recognized. You can read about the highs and lows that Jackson and Charles experienced as they tried to get the flag recognized. Their experience exemplifies the importance of sticking to a goal despite facing overwhelming opposition.
Design of the Black American Heritage Flag
The Black American Heritage Flag has horizontal stripes of red and black, arranged in a diagonal back-slash pattern (red, black, red). Its proportions are 2:3 or 3:5. The black stripe in the middle of the flag is larger than either of the red corners, and there is a fig wreath and a dull sword in gold at the flag’s center. There is a lot of meaning behind these colors and design, right down to the blunt blade, which we’ll get into below.
The symbolism of the Black American Heritage Flag
Unity, Prosperity, Peace, And Pride
The Black American Heritage Flag is flown not just during Black History Month, but all year long. Though not every color associated with Black History Month is displayed on the flag, each hue in this banner has special significance.
The pride and achievements of African Americans are symbolized by the Black American Heritage Flag. However, it goes beyond that. This flag represents not just the triumphs and contributions of Black Americans, but also their suffering and anguish throughout the nation’s history. By honoring the victories and the losses, this flag was designed to move Black Americans forward and give them a reason for optimism.
The flag’s colors are red, black, and gold, and it features an easily recognizable emblem. The month of February is known as Black History Month, and its colors, red and black, reflect the innocent blood lost by African Americans throughout American history while black denotes pride in the Black race. Gold in the symbol stands for wisdom, wealth, and harmony. The insignia itself, a fig wreath (a native plant to Africa), and a sword that has been dulled have significance. The fig wreath represents peace, wealth, and eternal life, while the blunt sword is designed to instill pride.
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