ST PAUL, Minn. — After months of debate, dozens of meetings, and thousands of submissions, Minnesota’s new state flag and state seal designs have been chosen: a flag featuring two shades of blue and a star, and a seal depicting the Minnesota state bird, the common loon.
But why is Minnesota getting a new flag at all?
The current flag, adopted in 1957 with slight changes from one adopted in 1893, features the official state seal on a blue field. However, many Native American groups have said the seal’s imagery is offensive, depicting an Indigenous person riding off into the sunset as a white settler plows a field with a rifle nearby.
Flag scholars, known as vexillologists, say there’s an additional problem with the current Minnesota state flag: it’s just too complicated.
The North American Vexillological Association says flags should be simple but meaningful, with just a few colors, easily recognizable from a distance, and without seals or lettering. The association ranked Minnesota’s seal-on-blue flag in 67th place out of 72 U.S. and Canadian state and provincial flags.
Previous state law required the state seal to appear on the flag, until the DFL-controlled Minnesota Legislature created the State Emblems Redesign Commission in the last session to reconsider the state’s official symbols. The commission was tasked with replacing both the seal and the flag—which is no longer required to feature the seal.
The commission faced a specific set of rules in the new design, as posted on its website:
The Commission shall develop and adopt a new design for the official state seal and a new design for the official state flag. The designs must accurately and respectfully reflect Minnesota's shared history, resources, and diverse cultural communities. Symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design. The Commission may solicit and secure the voluntary service and aid of vexillologists and other persons who have either technical or artistic skill in flag construction and design, or the design of official seals, to assist in the work. The Commission must also solicit public feedback and suggestions to inform its work. The Commission shall certify its adopted designs in a report to the legislature and governor no later than January 1, 2024. The Commission's report must describe the symbols and other meanings incorporated in the design.
Minnesota isn’t the only state to consider a new look for its flag in recent years: The Utah Legislature recently approved a simplified flag design that keeps a beehive, a symbol of the Mormon pioneers who settled the state. Mississippi voters chose a new state flag in 2020 to replace a Confederate-themed flag that was widely condemned as racist.
The Minnesota Legislature will ultimately decide if the commission’s new flag and seal designs are worthy of the Land of 10,000 Lakes; but if lawmakers choose to move forward with the final designs, they’ll become official when Minnesota celebrates its statehood day on May 11.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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