FLAG EXPLAINER | Juneteenth Flag

Juneteenth is the holiday that celebrates the freeing of African slaves across the United States. And before we dive into the Juneteenth flag, we need to learn a little more about that fateful day in June of 1865.

Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863. However the enforcement of the emancipation kind of relied on the Union troops advancing to each and every slave owning area.

Texas was the most remote slave state, and even after the Civil War had ended they kinda just kept it that way. That is until Union troops landed on Galveston Island near Houston on June 19th, 1865 and proclaimed the emancipation of slaves in the last remaining slave state. Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, signed into law by president Joe Biden in 2021.

OK, so let’s talk about the Juneteenth Flag. 

The flag was the brainchild of activist Ben Haith and illustrated by Lisa Jeanne Graf.

Right off the bat, you can easily see a resemblance to the Texas flag and that isn’t unintended. The star in the middle represents the Lone Star State as well as all African Americans in the US.

The colors of the flag, Red, White and Blue, are intentionally the same as the United States as a reminder that enslaved people and their descendants were, and are, Americans.

The arc shape is a symbol of hope. It represents a new horizon that hold opportunity and promise for Black Americans.

The Nova around the star represents a new beginning for the freed slaves.

You may see versions with the date "June 19,1865" on the fly edge of the flag. That was added in 2006, but we offer the version without the text because it more closely follows good flag design rules.

Each year, the Juneteenth flag gains more and more notoriety and traction. With more news and awareness around the flag, it is becoming a much more popular thing to see flying in summer time.

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We at Flags For Good offer a few different sizes of the Juneteenth flag (including a cute garden flag!) to help you celebrate the holiday. Each of these flags we sell automatically donates 10% to organizations that advance the lives and livelihoods of people of color.