Juneteenth

The City of Norfolk is committed to acknowledging our history and celebrating the diversity of our city by commemorating Juneteenth as a day of recognition, restoration and celebration.

Juneteenth is the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, a word created by joining the words "June" and "nineteenth" together. It honors June 19, 1865, the day that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, the last of the former Confederate states to abolish slavery, finally heard that the Civil War had ended, and learned that the Emancipation Proclamation had made them free nearly two years earlier.

Juneteenth Flags & Their Meanings

• The red, white and blue Juneteenth flag was created by the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, Ben Haith, in 1997. It was redesigned in 2000 resulting in the present modern day design with sections of blue and red superimposed by a white star. The date, June 19, 1865, was added to the flag in 2007. According to Haith, each element of the flag has a deliberate meaning:
  • The star: The white star has a dual meaning. One, representing Texas where the Union soldiers informed the country's last remaining enslaved people that, under the Emancipation Proclamation, they were now free. The second meaning is to represent the freedom of African Americans in all 50 states.
  • The starburst: This is inspired by a nova, or a new star. The starburst represents a new beginning.
  • The arc: The curvature of the two colors, red and blue, represents a new horizon or the opportunities that lay ahead.
  • The colors: The use of red, white and blue represents the American flag and serves as a reminder that the enslaved and their descendants were and are all Americans. According to Haith, the colors symbolize the ongoing commitment of people in the United States to live up to the ideal of liberty and justice for all.
• The Pan-African flag, also known as the Afro-American flag and the Black Liberation flag, was created in 1920 and serves as a marker of freedom and political power of Black Americans. It is sometimes referred to as the Marcus Garvey flag for the Jamaican political activist and journalist who was the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. In the 1960s, the Pan-African flag became the symbol for the Black Liberation movement. Today, it can be seen at civil rights rallies, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parades and other events.
  • Each color of the flag has meaning.
    • Red: Represents the blood that unites all Black people and that has been shed as a result of slavery.
    • Black: Represents the color of skin as well as strength.
    • Green: Represents the fertility of the African continent.