Minnesota’s new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star on a dark blue background in the shape of the state, with a solid light blue field to the right, a special commission decided Tuesday in choosing a replacement for a more modern design. old that many Native Americans considered offensive.
The State Emblem Redesign Commission chose the final version by a vote of 11 to 1 after finalizing a new state seal depicting a loon, the state bird.
Unless the Legislature rejects them, the new flag and seal will automatically become official on April 1, 2024, when Minnesota celebrates Statehood Day.
The star echoes Minnesota’s state motto: “Star of the North.” The president of the commission, Luis Fitch, said that for him the light blue represents the Mississippi River, “the most important river in the United States,” pointing to the North Star.
But he acknowledged it could mean other things to other people. Symmetry and simplicity prevailed over other versions, including those that included a green stripe for the state’s agricultural heritage.
The new flag is a revised version of a design submitted by Andrew Prekker, 24, of Luverne, who said he was grateful and amazed by the “rare privilege” of being able to contribute to the state’s history.
The proposed new flag will feature two different shades of blue and a white star that echoes Minnesota’s state motto: “Northern Star.” AP Minnesota Flag Commission Chairman Luis Fitch adjusts a board with some of the final designs. AP
“It is an achievement that I hope will bring much unity and pride to our land, and I will celebrate that fact with great honor for the rest of my life,” Prekker said in a statement read to the commission. “My greatest hope is that this new flag can finally adequately represent our state and all its people: that all Minnesotans of all backgrounds, including indigenous communities and tribal nations who have been historically excluded, will be able to look up to our flag with pride and honor and see themselves within it.”
Minnesota’s current flag dates to 1957, an update from the 1893 original. It includes the current state seal, slightly modified from the 1858 original, depicting a Native American riding into the sunset while a white settler plows his field with his rifle leaning on a nearby stump.
Critics say the images suggest that indigenous people were defeated and left, while whites won and stayed.
The state’s 11 recognized Dakota and Ojibwe tribes find the previous design offensive. And experts in the study of flags, known as vexillology, say it’s too complicated and that, ideally, a child should be able to draw a state flag.
Critics say the images on the current flag suggest that indigenous people were defeated and left, while whites won and stayed. AP
The North American Vexillological Association ranks the former flag of Minnesota 67th out of 72 state and provincial flags of the US and Canada. Fitch said the group’s experts rated the final choice as “A-plus.”
The commission included members of the state’s tribal and colored communities.
Last week he decided on a new stamp with a loon and the Dakota name for Minnesota: Mni Sóta Makoce, which can be translated as “where the water meets the sky.” On Tuesday, commissioners voted to increase the number of gold bars in the border from 87 (one for each county) to 98 to include all 11 tribes.
It remains to be seen whether the new flag and seal will become the symbols of unity that its supporters hope for.
Commission member Aaron Wittnebel and Chairman Luis Fitch review color charts at the beginning of a recent session to define the new flag election on Friday, December 15, 2023 in St. Paul, Minnesota. AP
Two Republican non-voting committee members, Rep. Bjorn Olson and Sen. Steve Drazkowski, plan to submit a minority report to the Legislature.
Olson said they believe the chosen seal violates the statute that created the commission, which is supposed to select a unifying symbol. With Dakota’s name on the seal, Drazkowski said, it’s about “elevating one race above all races in Minnesota.”
Olson also said the process was too rushed and that Minnesotans should vote on both the flag and the seal next November.
The new flag is a revised version of a design submitted by Andrew Prekker, 24, of Luverne, who said he was grateful and amazed by the “rare privilege” of being able to contribute to the state’s history. AP
But Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon, a voting member, said his office studied the issue and came to a “tentative conclusion” that such a vote would be unconstitutional because Minnesota law does not allow state-level initiatives and referendums.
Several other states have also been redesigning outdated flags.
Last winter, the Utah Legislature approved a simplified design that still includes a beehive, a symbol of the prosperity and industriousness of its Mormon pioneers.
Commission member Aaron Wittnebel raised his hands as the commission debated options for the new flag. AP
Mississippi voters in 2020 chose a new flag featuring a magnolia to replace a Confederate-themed flag that was widely condemned as racist.
Other states considering simplifying their flags include Michigan, Illinois and Maine, where voters will decide next year whether to replace their current banner with a retro version featuring a simple pine tree and a blue North Star.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn