Minnesota’s new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star on a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field on the right, a special commission decided Tuesday as it chose a replacement for an old design that many Native Americans find offensive.
The State Emblem Redesign Commission chose the final version by an 11-1 vote after finalizing a new state seal depicting a loon, the state bird.
Unless the Legislature rejects it, the new flag and seal will automatically become official on April 1, 2024, when Minnesota celebrates its National Day.
The star echoes the Minnesota state motto “North Star.” The commission’s chairman, Luis Fitch, said to him, the light blue color represented the Mississippi River, “the most important river in the United States,” pointing to the North Star.
But he admits it can mean something else to others. Symmetry and simplicity won over other versions, including one 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 in awe of the “rare privilege” of being able to contribute to the state’s history.
The proposed new flag would feature two contrasting colors of blue and a white star that echoes Minnesota’s state motto of “North Star.” AP Minnesota flag commission Chairman Luis Fitch adjusts the board with some final designs. AP
“It is an achievement that I hope brings a lot of unity and pride to our country, and I will hold that fact with great respect for the rest of my life,” Prekker said in a statement read to the commission. “It is my great hope that this new flag will finally properly represent our state and all its people — that every Minnesotan of every background, including Indigenous communities and historically excluded tribal nations, can look upon our flag with pride and honor and see themselves in it.”
Minnesota’s current flag dates from 1957, an update from the original flag of 1893. It includes the current state seal, slightly modified from the original of 1858, which depicts 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 imagery shows Aboriginal people have been defeated and gone, while whites have won and stayed.
The state’s 11 recognized Dakota and Ojibwe tribes found the previous design offensive. And experts in the study of flags – known as vexillology – say it’s too complicated, ideally a child should be able to draw a state flag.
Critics say the current flag’s imagery shows the Aboriginal people have been defeated and left, while whites have won and stayed. AP
The Vexillological Society of North America ranked Minnesota’s old flag 67th out of 72 state and territory flags of the US and Canada. Fitch said experts from the group rated the latter option as “A-plus.”
The commission includes members of other tribes and colored communities in the state.
It was settled last week on a new seal featuring a loon and the Dakota name for Minnesota: Mni Sóta Makoce, which translates as “where the water meets the sky.” On Tuesday, commissioners voted to increase the number of gold bars on the rim from 87 — one for each county — to 98 to include 11 tribes.
It remains to be seen whether the new flag and seal will be the symbol of unity their supporters hope for.
Commission member Aaron Wittnebel and Chairman Luis Fitch look at a color chart at the start of a recent session to narrow down options for a new flag Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. AP
The two Republican members who did not vote for the commission, Rep. Bjorn Olson and Senator Steve Drazkowski, plan to submit a minority report to the Legislature.
Olson said they believe the chosen seal violates the law that created the commission, which is supposed to choose a symbol of unification. With Dakota’s name on the seal, Drazkowski said, it “elevates one race above all Minnesota races.”
Olson also said the process was too rushed, and 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 in awe of 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 reached a “tentative conclusion” that such a vote would be unconstitutional because Minnesota law does not allow for statewide initiatives and referendums.
Several other states have also redesigned obsolete flags.
The Utah Legislature last winter approved a simple design that still includes the beehive, a symbol of prosperity and perseverance of its Mormon pioneers.
Commission member Aaron Wittnebel threw his hands in the air as the commission debated the choice of a new flag. AP
Mississippi voters in 2020 chose a new flag with magnolias to replace a Confederate-themed flag 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 blue North Star.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
