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| The '''red, black and green flag''' was created by the members of the ] at their convention held in ] on ], ]. | The '''red, black and green flag''' was created by the members of the ] (UNIA) at their convention held in ] on ], ]. | ||
| The '''UNIA flag''' is now more often known as the '''Marcus Garvey''' flag, the '''Black Liberation''' flag, the '''International African''' flag, and perhaps most commonly, the '''Pan-African''' flag. Although other designs are also referred to as the International African flag or the Pan-African flag, the descending stripes of red, black, and green in created by UNIA are the design most often referred to this way. | |||
| The three colors represent: | The three colors represent: | ||
| *]: the |
*]: the blood that unites all people of ] ancestry, and shed for liberation; | ||
| *]: ] whose |
*]: ] whose existence as a ], though not a ], is marked by the existence of the flag; and | ||
| *]: the abundant natural wealth of |
*]: the abundant natural wealth of ]. | ||
| The flag was created by the members of the UNIA in response to a ] song written in ] entitled "The Only Race without a Flag is the ]"; the song was written by ] and ] and popular in the U.S. and Britain. | |||
| ⚫ | The flag later became a ] symbol for the liberation African people everywhere. |
||
| The flag was created in 1920 by ] and the members of the UNIA in response to a ] song written in ] entitled ''The Only Race without a Flag is the ]''; the song was written by ] and ] and popular in the U.S. and Britain. | |||
| ⚫ | The flag later became a ] symbol for the liberation of African people everywhere. | ||
| The use of Red, Black and Green as colors symbolizing African nationhood was first "adopted by the UNIA-ACL as part of the 1920 Declaration of Rights as the official colors of the African race. The question of a flag for the race was not as trivial as might have appeared on the surface, for in the United States especially, the lack of an African symbol of nationhood seems to have been cause for crude derision on the part of whites and a source of sensitivity on the part of Afro-Americans. White derision over this deficiency was summed up in a popular American song, "Every Race Has a Flag But the 'Coon.'" A 1912 report appearing in the Africa Times and Orient Review (for which Marcus Garvey worked) documented the far-reaching consequences of this song. In 1921 he declared, | |||
| A 1912 report appearing in the Africa Times and Orient Review (for which Marcus Garvey worked) documented the far-reaching consequences of this song. In 1921 Garvey stated: | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | <blockquote>''Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride. Aye! In song and mimicry they have said, "Every race has a flag but the coon." How true! Aye! But that was said of us four years ago. They can't say it now....''</blockquote> | ||
| The race catechism Garveyites used explained the significance of the red, black, and green as for the "color of the blood which men must shed for their redemption and liberty", black for "the color of the noble and distinguished race to which we belong," and green for "the luxuriant vegetation of our Motherland."3 | |||
| == Similar flags == | |||
| A flag must represent the standard by which its people live. Thus, the Universal African Flag, the 52nd Article of the Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World was ratified in convention. | |||
| The ] flag is three horizontal stripes, descending black, green, and dark yellow (gold). | |||
| The ] flag is three horizontal stripes,descending green, yellow, and red. It is derived from the Ethiopian flag. | |||
| There has been a great deal of talk and controversy over the origin, creation and use of the Red, Black and Green. The UNIA hopes that this controversy can be clarified once and for all. | |||
| The flag of ] is three horizontal stripes, descending green, yellow, red, with a light blue disk in the center blazoned with a yellow pentagram with yellow single rays emanating from the angles of the pentagram and terminating before the edge of the disk. It is the oldest national flag in Africa, and the colors of its three horizontal bands are sometime referred to as the Pan-African colors. | |||
| There was no Red, Black and Green Flag prior to the coming of the Honorable Marcus Garvey and the founding of the UNIA. Today there are many African Nations that have adopted the colors Red, Black and Green after the great Marcus Garvey and his program of African Redemption. Any one claiming the creation of the Red, Black and Green is historically incorrect. The UNIA organization will make every attempt to clear up any misunderstandings about the matter concerning the Red, Black and Green. Further confusion can be misleading to the masses of Blacks throughout the country and the world. | |||
| == Internal links == | |||
| The following paragraph is the official historical creation and usage of the Red, Black and Green: | |||
| ] | |||
| :''Notice to the General Public: The UNIA in 1920 in international convention adopted the Red, Black and Green as its official colors and emblem of the Black people of the world. This flag has been flown upside down contrary to the intention of Marcus Garvey and the UNIA who gave it to the world. It is unlawful, disrespectful and traitorous for any individual or group to add any other colors to the Red, Black and Green for any other purpose. Individuals or groups doing so are not true nationalist, and should not be recognized as such.'' | |||
| == External links == | == External links == | ||
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| ** from a ] website | ** from a ] website | ||
| ** from the ] website of the ] | ** from the ] website of the ] | ||
| *non-commercial vexillology site | |||
| * Afro-American flags at Flags of the World | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 16:47, 31 March 2006
The red, black and green flag was created by the members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA) at their convention held in Madison Square Garden on August 13, 1920.
The UNIA flag is now more often known as the Marcus Garvey flag, the Black Liberation flag, the International African flag, and perhaps most commonly, the Pan-African flag. Although other designs are also referred to as the International African flag or the Pan-African flag, the descending stripes of red, black, and green in created by UNIA are the design most often referred to this way.
The three colors represent:
- red: the blood that unites all people of African ancestry, and shed for liberation;
- black: black people whose existence as a nation, though not a nation-state, is marked by the existence of the flag; and
- green: the abundant natural wealth of Africa.
The flag was created in 1920 by Marcus Garvey and the members of the UNIA in response to a racist song written in 1900 entitled The Only Race without a Flag is the Coon; the song was written by Will A. Heelan and J. Fred Helf and popular in the U.S. and Britain.
The flag later became a black nationalist symbol for the liberation of African people everywhere.
A 1912 report appearing in the Africa Times and Orient Review (for which Marcus Garvey worked) documented the far-reaching consequences of this song. In 1921 Garvey stated:
Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride. Aye! In song and mimicry they have said, "Every race has a flag but the coon." How true! Aye! But that was said of us four years ago. They can't say it now....
Similar flags
The African National Congress flag is three horizontal stripes, descending black, green, and dark yellow (gold).
The Rasta flag is three horizontal stripes,descending green, yellow, and red. It is derived from the Ethiopian flag.
The flag of Ethiopia is three horizontal stripes, descending green, yellow, red, with a light blue disk in the center blazoned with a yellow pentagram with yellow single rays emanating from the angles of the pentagram and terminating before the edge of the disk. It is the oldest national flag in Africa, and the colors of its three horizontal bands are sometime referred to as the Pan-African colors.
Internal links
External links
- The UNIA-ACL official website
- "Every Race Has a Flag But the 'Coon.":
- Sheet music from a Johns Hopkins University website
- Sheet music from the American Memory website of the Library of Congress
- Flags of the Worldnon-commercial vexillology site
- Afro-American flags at Flags of the World