SAN DIEGO — It's Juneteenth weekend and lots of celebrations are already taking place across San Diego County to commemorate the freeing of American slaves and celebrate Black liberation.
While you're enjoying the sights and sounds of black culture, there's already been several flag raising ceremonies featuring the Juneteenth flag.
You'll likely see other flags celebrating Black liberation and culture.
What are the different flags?
The National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation adopted its Juneteenth flag, which you’ll find flying at government buildings and offices.
Marlisa Herring, founder of Fit, Black and Educated says they'll wave a couple of flags in their celebrations including the Juneteenth flag.
"It has the Juneteenth date, we have a star in the middle that represents Texas, the burst on the outside represents the whole idea of new beginnings and the horizon is there for new opportunities coming along the red and the blue is supposed to represent that we are still Americans," Herring said.
In conversation with Herring, CBS 8’s Keristen Holmes shared, “People sometimes use a different flag. I grew up using a different flag.”
Herring exclaimed in agreement, “Yes! This flag is actually the Pan African Flag. The red represents the bloodshed, the black is pride in being Black and green for the abundance in Africa."
"That's the flag that has always been associated with Juneteenth,” Chair of Africana Studies for San Diego State University, Adisa Alkebulan shared. “But not only Juneteenth but many other African American celebrations or events."
The Pan-African Flag was adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association at a conference in New York City in 1920. For several years before that, the UNIA’s leader, Marcus Garvey talked about the need for a black liberation flag.
"Marcus Garvey who is from Jamaica sought to unify African people all over the world in the West Indies at the time as he called it, in North America as well as Africans in Africa," Alkebulan said.
Herring says the Pan-African flag has deep roots in American Black culture and internationally.
"Around 1960, 17 African countries actually gained their independence and when they did that, a lot of them adopted the colors of this flag as well," Herring said.
“The Black American Heritage flag was created in 1967 by Melvin Charles and Gleason T. Jackson,” Herring said with pride.
"The red stripes represent the bloodshed and our ancestors. The fig leaves were utilized because they are the most life-sustaining fruit in Africa. And the blunted sword is a Moorish sword. The Moors would carry the sword around for leadership. They decided to include the sword on the flag because it represents the cultural significance and leadership that Black Americans have across the world," she said.
Herring explains why the Black American Heritage flag is her favorite saying, “Our history from being stolen and being enslaved, going through Jim Crow and a failed reconstruction, yet we're here and we're still leading in so many things. That’s what this flag represents. I found pictures of people in like 1967, and the 70's and 80's that were repping this flag and I was like 'Why is it hidden?'"
However, when it comes to sharing the message behind the flag or reactions to seeing different flags celebrating Juneteenth Herring shared candidly, "You get mixed reviews. When I run into people from Texas, there's a lot of pride in that (Juneteenth) flag. Or people wonder why we have a flag at all. Or you get [the] aspect of 'That's not our flag. It should be red, black and green (the Pan African flag.)”
Herring says no matter which flag you choose to use to celebrate Juneteenth, Black Culture and Black Liberation, addressing racial inequities is the ultimate goal.
"Something has to be done about that, not just symbolically raising a flag. It's great, like I said. But it's just symbolic. Put some action behind it," she said.
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