By: Tucker Weiser
Recent protests across the United States have brought with them a reckoning on symbols. From statutes in town centers, to our nation’s founding fathers, the discussion on what or who constitutes “America” has been filled with controversy and gained constant national attention. One aspect of the reckoning on our symbols has gained very little attention, but could be one of the most significant changes. The number of state flag referendums have increased over the last few years, and with many more planning to go forward, the most poignant symbol of pride in one’s state and its culture are changing.
To many residents of the 50 states, their home state flags are an afterthought. After all, how many people can actually pick out their state flag from a set of other flags? The task is more difficult than you might think, as the majority of state flags just consist of a seal imposed on a blue or single-color background.[1]
These flags, however, do serve a purpose other than being placed in a government office. State flags serve the purpose of telling the viewer who or what comprises the state. For example, most state seals will feature one or two characters like a farmer or sailor with the name of the state and the state’s motto included. In many state flag designs, however, symbols and colors are used to create not only a flag, but a cultural icon for the residents of that state. In states like California, Colorado, and New Mexico, the flag of their state has become inextricably tied with their respective identities. These flags, in addition to other well-known state flags, have reached global recognition and have evolved beyond their intended purposes to now boost their respective states and promote their lifestyles. Today with the reckoning on symbols occurring, many activists looked at the flags of several states and saw not unifying symbols, but confederate symbols, racist depictions, and no symbol alluding to their contributions to their state’s history and identity. They set out to change that.
The most notable prior efforts to change state flags in recent history were the referendums which occurred in Georgia and Mississippi in the early 2000’s. At the time, both states featured the confederate battle flag, and projected an image of white supremacy to any who saw it.[2]
To the people of color who were residents of those states, the flags did not act as symbols of culture or pride, but as a threat. The effort was then put into motion to see both states remove the confederate symbol from their flags and design new flags which would better represent who made up the state. These efforts, unfortunately, would end in failure.
In Georgia, a Senate panel convened to research the issue concluded that the flag was passed at a time when Georgia was “entirely devoted to passing legislation that would preserve segregation and white supremacy.”[3] Despite this, the new proposed flag replaced the Confederate Battle Flag with the First National Flag of the Confederacy, which was hardly the outcome proponents of a change were hoping for.[4] Georgia put the referendum forward to the voters in 2004 to approve the new flag.[5] The referendum passed with over 73% of the vote.[6] That flag, which still flies today in Georgia, was labeled as the “Compromise Flag.” [7] To many activists, however, the new flag was a demoralizing defeat in the effort to remove the stain of the confederacy from the state.
In Mississippi, Democratic Governor Ronnie Musgrove created a commission to change the state flag and replace the Confederate Battle Flag with a neutral symbol.[8] Despite the governor pushing for change, Mississippi voters rejected the change by a 64% margin.[9]
In 2020 when the Black Lives Matter Protests erupted, activists, having learned from their failure in Georgia and Mississippi, attempted to again remove the Confederate Battle Flag from the state flag of Mississippi. Partnering with powerful evangelical groups in the state, activists managed to come to a much more favorable compromise than the one reached in Georgia.[10] A new flag would be designed which abandoned the Confederate symbol, but included the words: “In God We Trust.” [11] When the new flag’s adoption was put to Mississippi voters, the new design was approved by a 73% margin.[12]
While the removal of the Confederate Battle Flag from the Mississippi state flag was a significant milestone, many states still possess state flags with Confederate symbolism. In a recent article, the Washington Post noted that seven states, including Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, still have Confederate symbolism in their state flags.[13]
Not all state flag changes have been made due to Confederate symbolism, however. Many recent state flag changes, as well as several pushes to change state flags across the country, have been over their representation of Native Americans, or lack thereof. In 2022, Utah began the process of redesigning their flag.[14] The new flag features a star towards the bottom that has five points, which symbolize the first five federally recognized Native American tribes located in Utah, something absent in their old state flag.[15]
Mississippi’s new flag also features a gold star that recognizes the tribes that inhabited the land that would become Mississippi.[16] In a new push, Minnesota has been urged to change its state flag and seal after many Native American groups criticized its depiction of a Native American on its state seal as racist.[17] Illinois, Maine, Michigan, and Massachusetts are all embarking on similar state flag redesigns with the same goal in mind; produce a flag which can include everyone.[18]
It is safe to say that our collective reexamination on our symbols will continue to persist. As a result, our national icons, including our state flags, will continue to be challenged. While many Americans will appreciate the changes due to aesthetics alone, many legislators and activists who worked quietly to change these flags will enjoy the inclusion and cultural identity all can enjoy.
[1] How States Are Threading the Needle on Flag Design, N.Y. Times (Aug. 17, 2023), https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/17/us/us-state-flag-design.html.
[2] State Flags of Georgia, New Ga. Encyc. (Jul. 25, 2020), https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/state-flags-of-georgia/; Flag of Mississippi, Britannica (Oct. 26, 2023). https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state.
[3] The State Flag of Georgia: The 1956 Change In Its Historical Context, Sen. Rsch. Off.
(Aug., 2000), https://web.archive.org/web/20141204200939/http://www.senate.ga.gov/sro/Documents/StudyCommRpts/00StateFlag.pdf.
[4] State Flags of Georgia, New Ga. Encyc. (Jul. 25, 2020), https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/state-flags-of-georgia/.
[5] Georgia Election Results: Official Results of the March 2, 2004 Presidential Preference Primary and Statewide Special Referendum, Ga. Sec’y. of state (Aug. 7, 2004),
https://web.archive.org/web/20100528015659/https://sos.ga.gov/elections/election_results/2004_0302/0000230.htm.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] A look back at Mississippi’s 2001 Flag Referendum, MCI Maps (Jun. 22, 2020),
https://mcimaps.com/a-look-back-at-mississippis-2001-flag-referendum/
[9] Id.
[10] Lacking legislative votes to change state flag, Gunn and Hosemann turn to religious leaders for help, Miss. Today (Jun. 23, 2020), https://mississippitoday.org/2020/06/23/lacking-legislative-votes-to-change-state-flag-gunn-and-hosemann-turn-to-religious-leaders-for-help/.
[11] Id.
[12] Mississippi Statewide Measure 3 Election Results: Approve a Redesigned State Flag, N.Y. Times (Dec. 4, 2020), https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-mississippi-statewide-measure-3-approve-a-redesigned-state-flag.html.
[13] 7 state flags still have designs with ties to the Confederacy, Wash. Post. (Sep. 10, 2023), https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/09/10/confederate-state-flags/.
[14] Utah Legislature approves new state flag, KSLTV (Mar. 2, 2023), https://ksltv.com/528772/utah-legislature-approves-new-state-flag/.
[15] Id.
[16] Lacking legislative votes to change state flag, Gunn and Hosemann turn to religious leaders for help, Miss. Today (Jun. 23, 2020), https://mississippitoday.org/2020/06/23/lacking-legislative-votes-to-change-state-flag-gunn-and-hosemann-turn-to-religious-leaders-for-help/.
[17] Minnesota seeks unifying symbol to replace state flag considered offensive to Native Americans, AP (Sep. 5, 2023), https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-flag-native-americans-racism-utah-mississippi-194a948bde39d63f46fd198737336812.
[18] How States Are Threading the Needle on Flag Design, N.Y. Times (Aug. 17, 2023), https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/17/us/us-state-flag-design.html; Mass. is getting a new seal and motto — and you can help decide, WBUR (Sep. 5, 2023), https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2023/09/05/massachusetts-new-seal-flag-motto-rich-barlow.