Minnesota introduced a new flag to replace the one that many Native Americans found objectionable after months of discussion and thousands of submissions. Unveiled on Tuesday, the proposed state flag is shaped like the state and has a white eight-pointed star set on a dark blue backdrop. The design was described as an homage to Minnesota’s motto, Star of the North, by the special panel that authorized it.
The state’s waterways were symbolized by the light blue, it was added. But the redesign panel chairman admitted that different people may interpret the flag in various ways.
During a commission hearing earlier this week, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon specifically addressed the matter, pointing out that Texas’s flag is similar to Chile’s, and Iowa’s is close to France’s. The flags of several additional US states have been changed. For instance, Mississippi replaced a 2020 design that included the Confederate insignia with a new one.
The creator
For the news Andrew Prekker, a 24-year-old Minnesotan artist whose design formed the basis of the new flag, said it was “hard to express his gratitude and amazement”.”Among the many emotions I’m feeling, the strongest are a sense of honor, privilege, excitement, and gratitude,” he said in a statement. “It’s such a rare privilege to be able to contribute to our state’s history in such a special way like this.” However Mr Prekker’s design has been compared by some to the flag of Puntland, a Somali state.
His initial concept had blue, white, and green stripes with an abstract Minnesota form encircling a North Star. The three color stripes were removed from the original design and replaced with an all-blue section by the State Emblems Redesign Commission. The official design for the new Minnesota state flag was chosen to be that modification.
How was Minnesota’s flag choosen
By a vote of 11 to 1, the Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission authorized the flag. The state bird, the loon, is featured on a new state seal that was authorized by the commission. The new flag will be officially adopted on May 11, Minnesota’s Statehood Day, unless the state assembly surprisingly rejects it.
The head of the panel, Luis Fitch, tells Steve Karnowski of the Associated Press that the light blue hue symbolizes the Mississippi River, which he considers to be “the most important river in the United States,” while he acknowledges that other individuals may interpret the color differently. However, the star obviously alludes to Minnesota’s state motto, “L’etoile du Nord,” which translates to “Star of the North.”
The flag of today, which was revised from the original in 1893 and dates back to 1957, depicts a Native American on horseback galloping away from a farmer with a gun and a plow. Years of discussion have surrounded it in the state, and some commissioners of the redesign claimed it may be seen as a metaphor to Minnesota’s Native American exodus.
For more updates be with US Standard News.