The US state of Minnesota gave its residents its Christmas present, adopting a new local flag this week, the old one having been deemed racist towards Indigenous people for decades.
On the new navy blue and sky blue banner, there is an eight-pointed star in white for the “North Star”, the symbol and motto (in French in the text) of this state in the north of the United States.
“My greatest hope is that this new flag can finally truly represent our state and all its residents,” said Andrew Prekker, whose flag was selected by a commission from hundreds of proposals submitted by residents.
In a statement released Tuesday by the local government, Andrew Prekker said he hopes that “all Minnesotans, regardless of their background, including indigenous communities and tribal nations that have been historically excluded, can view our flag with pride and honor, and recognize oneself in it.
The current flag of Minnesota, cluttered with drawings, contains the motto “The North Star” above a white farmer standing near his rifle, facing a Native man on horseback armed with a spear.
One of the main critics of this flag, elected official Mike Freiberg, called it a “genocidal mess,” reported the local newspaper MinnPost.
If the state legislature does not object, the new flag will be flown for the first time on May 11, 2024, Minnesota’s local holiday, according to MinnPost.
“Delighted to have a new state flag that represents all residents,” said Minnesota Deputy Governor Peggy Flanagan, herself of Native American origin.
“Can I say that anything that doesn’t represent an Indigenous person driven off their land is a better flag?” she quipped on X, the old Twitter.
The old flag has been debated for decades, a debate further revived in the wake of the vast anti-racist movement sparked by the murder of George Floyd in 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s largest city.
Since then, many voices have been raised against symbols considered to glorify the past of slavery or the genocide of Indigenous people after the arrival of European settlers in America.
