Flags: Symbols and Meanings What Flags Say About the People They Are Supposed to Represent By Theodore Christopher Have you ever thought about our present-day symbols and what they mean for todayís diverse population? Flags are the most visible representation of a particular population consisting of people of various backgrounds in a single geographic region. Flags are the one symbol that should bring cohesion and unity to that population through shared resources, law, civil responsibility and love. They signify who our symbolic brothers and sisters are in the world and give us a sense of familiarity and shared spirit. However, the world is ever changing. Population is fluid, and in the United States, the population changes even more than it does in other nations as a result of immigration, emigration, and constant internal migration. The racial and ethnic diversity of our population has changed radically in some areas of the country. We have a continual influx of new cultures, ideas, and norms that blend into our society, transforming its make-up and general culture. Certainly change is a way of life everywhere on the planet. We are always looking to improve ourselves, our cities, our states, and our nation into something better than before. Innovation is a key component of the United States' rich history, as succeeding generations are constantly improving upon what previous ones have already accomplished. Designers improve upon the models of the past with ever more complicated structures. Companies change their symbols and products to continue to appeal to their clientele and to show they are in tune with the latest trends and demands of an increasingly diverse customer base. __________________________________________ Change is a way of life everywhere on the planet. __________________________________________ Nevertheless, when it comes to basic symbols that represent us as a population, there are some flags designed by previous generations which do not seem to accurately represent society as it is now, and there never seems to be a question about changing them. For whatever reason, in the past century there has never been a push towards or argument for making changes to some of these flags' design so that they better reflect the society and population for which they are supposed to stand. Who would not want to make an investment in designing a new symbol - a flag - for their generation which would make them feel like it more accurately represented them? I am not arguing that a flag should be changed every single generation. Nevertheless, when it is clearly outdated given the current population it represents, I think a change is in order. For the sake of the argument, and to make my point plain, I am going to take the example of the Hawaiian flag and then touch on a few other state flags that have been the subject of controversy. The colors in the Hawaiian state flag are red, white, and blue. The flag has stripes just as the American flag does, one to represent each island of the state. In the upper left-hand corner is the British Union Jack. Given a chance to vote on whether to adopt a new symbol involving the entire population of Hawaii, would most people actually choose to keep this flag with its current design and colors? Some might, if only for traditionís sake, but I doubt most would. This flag just doesn't make you think of Hawaii; in my opinion, it would better represent a New England state than Hawaii. When I researched the history of the Hawaiian flag, I could find no compelling reason as to why it should include the Union Jack. What other similarities are there between Hawaii and the British Isles besides the fact that they are both English-speaking? What was the reasoning behind what the designer was trying to achieve when creating this flag, which was to represent all the people of Hawaii? Hawaii has a rich indigenous history and strong Asian presence, so it is surprising that the flag does not contain any symbol or color that represents either natives or Asians. __________________________________________ Since South Carolina already has a beautiful flag with which most people have no quarrel, one might ask why the Confederate battle flag is even in the picture. __________________________________________ Some other good examples of flag issues today are the recent debates in South Carolina, Mississippi, and most notably Georgia. In South Carolina the issue is not the design (black and white) of the state flag, which most people accept. The issue is whether or not to display the Confederate battle flag on state grounds. In my view, this should be a proverbial "no-brainer." When a significant part of the population is African American and justifiably offended by the Confederate flag and the history behind it, then that flag should not be a part of the state grounds whatsoever, inside or out. Blacks in that state pay taxes just as White citizens do, and the state to which they contribute should not include a symbol that is so blatantly offensive to their sensitivities. Since South Carolina already has a beautiful flag with which most people have no quarrel, one might ask why the Confederate battle flag is even in the picture. It should be relegated to museums or private property. If people want to honor their southern heritage publicly, they can do so in a way that does not offend those who don't share their feelings or hold a different view altogether. The cases of Mississippi and Georgia are slightly more complicated because they incorporate the Confederate battle flag in the designs of their state flags. Mississippi recently held a statewide referendum on the issue. Not surprisingly, the majority voted to include the Confederate flag, but an analysis of voting patterns revealed historical divisions in the state along racial lines. Most Whites favored the Confederate flag, whereas the majority of Blacks did not. So even though the vote has passed and everything seems to be at peace, I would argue it still exposes a festering wound that has not been healed on account of what is basically a tyranny of the majority on this issue. I have always been a proponent of democracy. I believe it is the best system of government currently available. However, in situations such as Mississippiís I don't think a blind rubber stamp for whatever the majority wants is in the best interest of any of the groups involved. To put this matter up to a vote where clearly the majority has the advantage but where in the end the result must be accepted by ALL citizens whether it offends them or not is a form of tyranny. Obviously, in my view the only way to resolve this dilemma is to create a flag that truly represents all citizens, a flag that would truly unify the state across racial lines with a non-offensive design. Preferably the design would be something open to all citizens of the state with an emphasis on inclusion rather than exclusion and a tendency towards diversity rather than separation. __________________________________________ Most Whites favored the Confederate flag, whereas the majority of Blacks did not. __________________________________________ A new state flag was very recently adopted in Georgia. The old flag prominently displayed the Confederate battle flag, which was incorporated into the design of the state flag. The version of the past flag was only adopted when the civil rights movement had begun to gain recognition and progress. A coincidence? I think not. Nevertheless, the transparency of the group's motives when adopting that flag, as well as their purpose in how they wanted to make the African-American population feel, was apparently not a strong enough argument to design a new flag until now, approximately fifty years later. Nevertheless, despite opposition among significant parts of the population to the display of the old flag, Georgiaís legislature should be given credit for changing that flag to something less offensive. There are some interesting twists in the debate on the Georgia state flag. After the flag adopted in the 1950s was replaced by a new one that displayed the seal on a solid blue background, one might think that would be the end of the argument, but it wasn't. People who were still angry about losing the flag with the Confederate battle symbol on it would not let the issue die and decided that a vote was in order to settle it once and for all. This despite the problems that come with a vote where the majority has an overwhelming advantage (as in the case of Mississippi). To predict the outcome would not be difficult. I am not sure whether an actual vote took place, but I do know that finally a third flag version was officially adopted. I dare say that after a bit of progress, a little regression has taken place. In the design of the third flag there still seems to be no effort to speak to the diversity of the state or have symbols and colors that are inclusive of the whole population. Although this flag does not have the extremely offensive Confederate battle flag on it, it still harkens back to the Confederacy in another way, so we are almost back to square one, so of speak. After all this controversy, was a suitable effort made to have a flag that ALL the state's citizens could be proud of? Obviously my answer to that would be no. Georgia in my view still falls short of true representative diversity and inclusion in regard to the state flag. Why must a state flag for a state like Georgia make any reference to the Confederacy at all? By the accounts of most scholars, the Civil War period and the century that followed it was one of the darkest in this country's history, when the United States was almost torn apart by the "racial question." Why can't a new flag focus on the bright present and future of the state, emphasizing how the races are getting along together? I just think that when designing something as significant as a state flag the best efforts should be made to include input and representation from all the major groups in the population. This would of course involve taking account of diversity, excluding offensive symbols, and not harkening back to a past that was clearly divided, unequal, and oppressive. One could even throw Alabama in with this argument, because their flag's design also follows the design of the Confederate flag. __________________________________________ If a flag is designed with a sensitivity to the diversity of the population and tries to reflect that, then that flag will undoubtedly help to bring about more unity and cohesivenessthroughout the entire population. __________________________________________ It seems as if once a flag is designed and accepted for a certain period of time, it is presumed that this flag should forever stay the way it is, no matter what the mindset was of the person who first designed it or how much effort he or she made to truly include, with symbols or colors, ALL the people of that state or region. I would argue that our nation, and our world for that matter, has changed dramatically since the time in which many of our current flags were adopted. Therefore we need to consider changing some of our symbols as well. These changes need to be brought about with the WHOLE population in mind, so that when a new flag is adopted the WHOLE population feels as if they have a stake in it and are represented somewhere in the design. If a flag is designed with a sensitivity to the diversity of the population and tries to reflect that, then that flag will undoubtedly help to bring about more unity and cohesiveness throughout the entire population. There will always be a small portion of people that won't accept this, even when you try to take this most inclusionary route, but that is the nature of disagreement within a free society. However, when you encourage a push toward more togetherness, understanding, and respect, you will always bring positive change to a country, region, or state and better hope for future generations. I have included here my own design of how a new Hawaiian flag might look like. I am not a resident of Hawaii, so I am certainly not presumptuous enough to think that this is what a new flag should be if one were adopted. I strongly feel that the design of a new flag should be open to ALL the people of Hawaii. However, I believe the design I made is at least better and more representative than the current one. What do you think? Theodore's rendition of a new Hawaiian flag: Red islands Represent the native people of Hawaii and their rich history Background green Represents the lush beauty of Hawaii's tropical rainforests Dark blue band Represents the influence of European culture Yellow band Represents the influence of Asian immigration and culture. Five light blue stars Represent the historical importance of the US Navy to the state of Hawaii Star burst on the middle island Represents the Capitol. After reading this article some of you maybe rolling your eyes wondering what the big deal is about? A flag, is a flag why should people like me get upset over something that is just pieces of colored cloth stitched together. Here is another bleeding heart liberal complaining about insignificant things, right? Well, it is easy to make those arguments when you aren't the one being offended. It is easy to say that when you see yourself represented in the flag, or that the flag accurately represents people like yourself. How would you feel however given recent world events if you saw someone displaying a French flag alone? Would that bother you? Would you be offended? Would you wonder why they had to have that flag on display? Taking it a step further, what if someone displayed a Japanese Imperial War flag from World War II or a Vietnamese flag? Then I would ask the same questions. Although some people might deny it I would bet that a considerable number of individuals would be highly offended by such displays, especially those people who don't see what the big deal is with the Confederate symbols. If you can imagine yourself being offended by the display of a flag, and not having much recourse to do anything about it, then you are beginning to understand my whole argument here. Once you put yourself in someone else's shoes, as the old saying goes, then it becomes a lot easier to see their side of the issue. Theodore Christopher Jr. is a new writer who has contributed to Urban Mozaik and Interracial Voice. He was born in Flint, Michigan. He comes from a diverse family and works for a library system in mid-Michigan. He has a special interest in political and interracial issues. This website: Copyright © 2003 Dream World Media, LLC. / Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved. 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