As we celebrate 2017 Black History Month, it is important to reflect on just how far we have come in embracing our ancestral heritage as African Americans. The flag representing African American, as well as all African people was developed in the 1920’s from Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) movement.
The colors of the flag are:
- Red which represents “the blood that unites all people of Black African ancestry.”
- Black which represents “the black people whose existence as a nation, though not a nation-state, is affirmed by the existence of the flag.”
- Green which represents the land and “the abundant natural wealth of Africa.”
The colors of red, black and green were adopted by an international assemblage of 25 countries of the African diaspora, making it the international colors. There are various titles used for this flag, such as International African Flag, Pan African Flag, Liberation Flag, Black Flag, African American Flag, Afro-American flag, RBG Flag, and UNIA Flag.
(These colors should not be confused with Marcus Garvey colors of green, black and red).
This flag represents all people of the Africa Diaspora regardless of the land of birth. The Africa Diaspora includes South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Western Sahara, Angola, Haiti, Nigeria, Jamaica, Mayotte, Brazil, Kenya, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Liberia, Mauritania, Seychelles, African American, Tanzania, Gabon, Congo, Bermuda, Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, British Virgin Islands, Gambia, Belize, St. Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda, Namibia, TOGO, Guinea, Haiti, Rwanda, Turks & Caicos Islands, Madagascar, Ghana, Eritrea, Dominica, Malawi, EQ. Guinea, Chad, Barbados, Mozambique, Morocco, D.R. Congo, Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Djibouti, Comoros, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Cote D’IVORE, African Union, Aruba, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Zambia, St. Kitts & Nevis, Anguilla, United States Virgin Islands, Somalia, Algeria, United States, Benin, Botswana, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Niger, Libya, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Rep, Martinique, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Montserrat and Netherlands & The Antilles.
References:
www.atlantablackstar.com/2015/07/23/8-things-about-the-black-liberation-flag-you-may-not-know/
www.crwflags.com/fotu/flags/us-afro.html
visit www.westindiansocialclub.org/calendar for Black History events and programs