Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents some excerpts from online articles about what color flag/s should be used to commemorate Juneteenth. A comment about this subject that was published on Facebook is also included in this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/06/what-colors-are-used-andor-should-be_18.html for Part II of this two part pancocojams series. Part II presents a few tweets about the colors that are used or should be used for flags that commemorate Juneteenth.
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-red-white-and-blue-juneteenth.html for a very closely related pancocojams post entitled "The Red, White, And Blue Juneteenth Holiday Flag (video, article excerpts, & comments)".
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Additional pancocojams post about Juneteenth can be found by using this blog internal seach engine with the tag "Juneteenth" or by using Google search with the words "pancocojams Juneteenth".
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-history-meaning-of-red-black-and.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "The History & Meaning Of The African American Red, Black, And Green Flag".
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ARTICLE EXCERPTS ON THIS SUBJECT
Excerpt #1:
From from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Descendants_of_Slavery#:~:text=American%20Descendants%20of
"American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) is a term referring to descendants of enslaved Africans in the area that would become the United States (from its colonial period onward), and to the political movement of the same name. Both the concept and the movement grew out of the hashtag #ADOS created by Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore.[1]
The ADOS movement focuses mainly on demanding reparations for the system of slavery in the United States.[2] They want colleges, employers and the federal government to prioritize restorative justice for ADOS and argue that affirmative action policies originally designed to help ADOS have been used largely to benefit other groups.[2]
Supporters of the ADOS movement say they should have their own racial category on census forms and college applications, and should not be lumped in with other Black people—namely modern Black African immigrants to the United States and Black immigrants from the Caribbean.[2]
A distinguishing feature of the ADOS movement is its
explicit emphasis on black Americans who descended from slavery and its
disagreements with black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean.[2] The group
demands "a new designation on the Census with ADOS and another for Black
immigrants" to the United States.[4] Supporters of ADOS push the issue on
social media with the hashtag #ADOS and state that it "sets out to shift
the dialogue around the identity of what it is to be African American in an
effort to move the discussion from melanin and properly center the discussion
around lineage";[5] they view ADOS as having distinct interests from
broader groups, such as people of color or ethnic minorities generally.[3]
[...]
Size of movement
The movement is "tiny but outspoken";[3] the number of active supporters is believed to be in the thousands.[2]"...
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I haven't found any information that iindicates whether Ben Haith, the original designer of the red, white, and blue Juneteenth flag is affiliated with ADOS. However, it seems likely to me that he is affiliated with ADOS. People who identify themselves as being ADOS are strongly supportive of the use of the Juneteenth flag that Ben Haith designed and are highly critical of using any other flags or any other colors to refer to and/or commemorate Juneteenth.
For the record, I'm not ADOS. My maternal grandparents came to the United States together in the early 1900s from Trinidad-Tobago and from Barbados. My father was a light skinned Black man, but I don't have any information about his biological family since he was (probably informally) adopted by a Black family in Michigan. My father was born in New York state in the 1930s and some of his biological ancestors probably had been enslaved at some point. However, I haven't tried to search out that information. At any rate, I'm comfortable calling myself a pan-Africanistm not only because of my biological background, but because I'm very interested in Black cultures throughout the world.
Excerpt #2
From https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/06/18/controversial-discussions-surround-juneteenth-and-joint-celebrations/7646067001/ "What does the Juneteenth flag look like? Can it be celebrated with July 4th? It's complicated" by Saleen Martin. Jun 18, 2022
'A Juneteenth flag was created in 1997 that included the colors red, white and blue.
Many Black people celebrate Juneteenth with a flag that is
red, black and green.
Some social media users called out a Virginia city for
merging July 4th and Juneteenth holidays and only using red, white and blue
decorations.
Juneteenth represents independence for Black people, and
since its recognition as a federal holiday in June 2021, the holiday – as well
as its flag – has ignited conversations surrounding how people celebrate it.
One such conversation happened in Newport News, Virginia, this week when a handful of Facebook users called out the city for merging July 4th and Juneteenth decorations. A city employee hid social media comments on the post that pushed back against the move before the city restored them.
Juneteenth, set in place as a federal holiday just recently, has a lot of nuances that will need to be worked out in the coming years among both Black people and the larger community, said Tim Goler, an assistant professor of sociology and urban affairs at Norfolk State University and research director at the Center for African American Public Policy.
Here some things to keep in mind.
A red, green and black flag or red, white, and blue?
Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 and commemorates the
date in which Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger told community members in Galveston,
Texas about President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
[…]
Juneteenth is known as Independence Day for Black people,
Goler said.
Most Black people celebrate Juneteenth with a red, green and black flag, similar to the Pan-African Flag or the Black Liberation Flag, he said.
Goler: Celebrating July 4 and Juneteenth together is 'disrespectful'
Some cities have chosen to celebrate Juneteenth and July 4th
together using red, white and blue colors, which doesn't sit well with some
Black people.
Goler, from Norfolk State University, said the issue is much more complicated than red, white, blue, black and green.
"You have this municipality issue versus community," he said. "It's true Ben Haith designed and patented this Juneteenth flag in 1997 ... But if you just do a simple Google search and you Google Juneteenth, and you just click images and you scroll as far as you can, (most of the) colors are going to be red, black and green."
Goler said that while he thanks Haith for creating the red, white and blue Juneteenth flag, even Haith himself said the purpose of choosing the colors was because he wanted it to serve as a reminder that Black Americans who descended from slavery are Americans.”…
But to some Black people, the American flag does not
represent freedom, equality and liberty, Goler said.
Just look at the failures of Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, voting rights, mass shootings, as well as "the continued inequities and discriminations against Black people that we deal with on a daily basis," he told USA TODAY.
He also said the U.S. flag has been deliberately weaponized and redefined as a conservative symbol, "owned by some Americans and not others."
"You can see why cities would (use the 1997 flag)," Goler said. "Some cities will use the red, white and blue colors because they have a constituency larger than just African Americans they're trying to appease. A lot of times, (using red, black and green) might cause problems, but if you look at most community-based organizations, pretty much every single Black organization, they all use red, black and green."
Goler also said celebrating July 4 and Juneteenth together is "unwise," "disrespectful" and an "oxymoron" because July 4th commemorates the Declaration of Independence being signed in 1776.
"Black people were still slaves in 1776," he said. "You've just got to do your research, look out in the world and see what we really use. The Pan-African Flag really is the most appropriate flag for Juneteenth. It's the Black Liberation flag and it was designed to represent people of the African diaspora. That's why we call ourselves African American. We acknowledge the diaspora in our identity. That flag also symbolizes Black freedom."
Juneteenth and how it's celebrated has become a political issue and localities that try to celebrate it with other holidays are trying to play both hands, he said.
"They have to figure out how they appease not just Black people, but the larger community," he said. "(The 1997 flag) works to their benefit. They can make sure that they squelch any kind of opposition to celebrating or commemorating a Black holiday."
He stressed that racism has not been abolished like some people believe.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Goler said. "Freedom is one thing; equality is quite another."….
Excerpt #3
From
"Happy Juneteenth Day! It’s wonderful to finally see this day observed as a Federal Holiday back home in the United States.
[drawing of the official Juneteenth flag]
Juneteenth’s Origin
While the origin of this holiday and its many other names, “Jubilee
Day“, “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day” still may seem new to
some, actually Juneteenth is already an annual celebration in many
municipalities around the country. The observance marks the day (June 19, 1865)
when news of emancipation finally reached enslaved African people in the
deepest parts of the former Confederacy in Galveston, Texas. The Juneteenth
flag is red, white, and blue, meant to signify that formerly enslaved people
and their descendants are and forever will be American citizens.
Juneteenth and Me
Growing up in Chicago, while I learned of the historical
significance of the day in school from an African American order of Catholic
nuns, it was mostly through my relatives from Texas and the western States that
I learned anything at all about the direct cultural expressions – especially,
the importance of the color “red” to food. For instance, the color “red”
symbolizes the blood shed on the pathway to freedom. Red is used everywhere —
from the foods eaten, to festivals planned to the official flag itself. Check
out the Netflix series, “High on the Hog” to find out more!"...
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This article continues with memories and recipes of certain pastries that that
writer associates with Juneteenth.
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Excerpt #4
From https://www.facebook.com/VanessaEstelleWilliams/photos/a.133375957300676/604930633478537/?type=
Unofficial: Vanessa Williams
June 19, 2020
Happy Juneteenth! Posted @withregram • @shesheabuttery This is the official Juneteenth flag that our ancestors created. Please note that it is not red, black, green, or yellow. This is an African American holiday meant to celebrate our emancipation. It is important that we know our history and honor our heritage and tradition. Stay proud, say it with your chest! I Am ADOS and I’m Proud!! American Descendants of Slavery. ADOS101.com #ADOS
Racism has no conscious and will kill dreams, hope and Black people. We must receive our past due debts from the United States!
#Juneteenth #Freeish #heritage #culture #tradition
#ElijahMcClain #GeorgeFloyd #JohnCrawford #BreonnaTaylor #kennethchamberlain
#reparations #supportblackbusinesses #buyblack #investblack
#blackentrepreneurs #prosperity #health #beautifulblackpeople #dopeblackpeople
#blacklove #blackfamily #blackcommunity #ados #americandescendantsofslavery
#cutthecheck #imblackandimproud #imadosandimproud #fitness #health
#racialwealthgap
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Excerpt #5
From https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/06/14/532667081/on-flag-day-remembering-the-red-black-and-green "On Flag Day, Remembering The Red, Black And Green", by Leah Donnella, June 14, 2017
..."The Pan-African flag, (also called the Marcus Garvey, UNIA,
Afro-American or Black Liberation flag,) was designed to represent people of
the African Diaspora, and, as one scholar put it, to symbolize "black
freedom, simple.The banner, with its horizontal red, black and green
stripes, was adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) at a
conference in New York City in 1920. For several years leading up to that
point, Marcus Garvey, the UNIA's leader, talked about the need for a black
liberation flag Robert Hill, a historian and Marcus Garvey scholar, says that
Garvey thought of a flag as necessary symbol of political maturity.
"The fact that the black race did not have a flag was considered by Garvey, and he said this, it was a mark of the political impotence of the black race," Hill explains. "And so acquiring a flag would be proof that the black race had politically come of age."
At that time, the goal of Garvey's movement was to establish a political home for black people in Africa. Hill says that Garvey patterned his thinking on other nationalist movements at that time — the Jewish Zionist movement, the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the fight against imperialism in China. And it was the Irish struggle for independence that Hill says "unofficially gave Garvey a lot of the political vocabulary of his movement."
The Pan-African flag's colors each had symbolic meaning. Red
stood for blood — both the blood shed by Africans who died in their fight for
liberation, and the shared blood of the African people. Black represented,
well, black people. And green was a symbol of growth and the natural fertility
of Africa."...
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Excerpt #6
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari
…"Rastas often make use of the colours red, black, green, and gold.[286] Red, gold, and green were used in the Ethiopian flag, while, prior to the development of Rastafari, the Jamaican black nationalist activist Marcus Garvey had used red, green, and black as the colours for the Pan-African flag representing his United Negro Improvement Association.[287] According to Garvey, the red symbolised the blood of martyrs, the black symbolised the skin of Africans, and the green represented the vegetation of the land, an interpretation endorsed by some Rastas.[288] The colour gold is often included alongside Garvey's three colours; it has been adopted from the Jamaican flag,[289] and is often interpreted as symbolising the minerals and raw materials which constitute Africa's wealth.[290] Rastas often paint these colours onto their buildings, vehicles, kiosks, and other items,[286] or display them on their clothing, helping to distinguish Rastas from non-Rastas and allowing adherents to recognise their co-religionists.[291] As well as being used by Rastas, the colour set has also been adopted by Pan-Africanists more broadly, who use it to display their identification with Afrocentricity;[290] for this reason it was adopted on the flags of many post-independence African states.[286] Rastas often accompany the use of these three or four colours with the image of the Lion of Judah, also adopted from the Ethiopian flag and symbolizing Haile Selassie.[286]"....
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Here's my guess about the future of the [so-called] official red, white, and blue Juneteenth flag:
Like African kente cloth, red, black, and green colors, and/or red, yellow, and green colors have become almost automatic Black cultural "tells" that are linked to or associated with Black people, particularly African Americans. When people in the United States (and elsewhere) see the colors red, black, and green together (and/or red, green, and yellow together) in a flag or clothing, and/or declorations, and/or used as the design for counteless numbers of commercial parenphrenalia, they immediately connect that flag, clothing, designs etc to African Americans and/or to other Black people.
That's not the case with red, white, and blue flags, clothing, or commercial items. For that reason alone, I really doubt that the red, white, and blue Juneteenth flag and red, white, and blue clothing (for example) will replace or even be equally used along side of anything with the red, black and green and/or red, yellow, and green colors to commemorate Juneteeth.
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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.
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