Flag Day 2021

Ah, today, June 14, is Flag Day in the US. Technically the day commemorates the history of the US Flag (good old stars-and-stripes), but we’re going to stretch the meaning a bit to be more encompassing for all of us vexillophiles (aka- flag lovers).

We are currently flying the Juneteenth Flag, commemorating a most significant, but little discussed, moment in our nation’s history. More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth

The city of Portland, the town we love, is about to go through a significant civic process. We’ve elected a charter commission to examine and make recommendations to leave-as-is/tweak/overhaul our city charter (essentially set of rules for how our city is governed). This will likely be a powerful, but controversial process. In the end, the voters of Portland will have the last say in if we should change the way “things are done around here”.

We understand that any discussion of civic symbols, such as our city flag, will take a backseat to larger issues during the process. However, we at Flag for Portland suggest that if the city is going to emerge post-charter-commission, as a stronger, more just, more democratic community, then it would also be the perfect time to adopt a fresh flag to be the visual symbol of our city.

A new flag could provide a common point of reference for people with diverse opinions and backgrounds to be reminded that we all share one place, and are stronger for it.  At the very least a flag adoption process could be a more-fun and lower-stakes civic engagement opportunity in parallel with the heavier charter revisions.

Whether or not the Safe in Port Flag is eventually adopted as Portland’s city flag, we believe it is a better symbol for our community than the current flag. Contact us if you’d like a physical version to fly.

There is much to look forward to as Portland works to strengthen itself from within, and we hope to play our part.