The Pan-African Flag: A Symbol Of Unity And Pride

The Pan-African flag, also known as the Afro-American flag or the Black Liberation flag, is a symbol of unity, freedom, and pride for Black people worldwide. It was created in 1920 by members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in response to a racist song titled Every Race Has a Flag but the Coon. The flag consists of three horizontal bands of red, black, and green, each colour carrying a specific meaning.

The flag's creation and adoption

The Pan-African flag, also known as the RBG flag, was created in the early 1900s, with the exact year being widely recognised as 1920. The flag was designed by members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in response to a racist folk song titled "Every Race Has a Flag but the Coon". The song's lyrics highlighted the absence of a flag to represent people of African descent, and the UNIA sought to address this by creating a unifying symbol for Black people worldwide. The flag was also intended to legitimise Black people as a unified nation, following centuries of slavery and disenfranchisement.

The UNIA, founded by Jamaican political activist, journalist, and speaker Marcus Garvey, played a pivotal role in the flag's creation and adoption. Garvey, alongside fellow activists, established the organisation to promote anti-colonialism and Black nationalism. On August 13, 1920, the UNIA, also known as the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), formally adopted the Pan-African flag during its month-long convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This adoption was documented in Article 39 of the Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World.

The Pan-African flag consists of three equal horizontal bands of red, black, and green. Each colour holds a specific meaning that contributes to the overall symbolism of the flag. The red represents the blood shed by Black people in their struggle for liberation and unity. The black signifies the noble and distinguished race to which they belong, celebrating their skin colour and the strength of their community. The green symbolises the luxuriant vegetation and abundant natural wealth of the African continent, reflecting the deep connection and pride that Black people have for their ancestral homeland.

The adoption of the Pan-African flag by the UNIA in 1920 marked a significant step towards unifying people of African descent worldwide. It served as a powerful symbol of freedom, pride, and the political power of Black Americans, becoming a rallying point for civil rights movements and a reminder of the ongoing struggle for equity.

The colours' meanings

The Pan-African flag, also known as the RBG flag, is a tricolour of red, black, and green. Each colour carries a specific meaning. The red stripe symbolises the blood shed by people of Black African ancestry in their struggle for liberation and freedom. It also represents the idea that all Black people are united by a shared history of racial oppression and discrimination.

The central black stripe stands for the people the flag represents. It is a nod to Black people's skin colour and signifies the strength and pride of the Black community. The black stripe also affirms the existence of Black people as a nation, even if they are scattered across the world and do not have a nation-state.

The green stripe symbolises the abundant natural wealth and fertility of the African continent. This colour represents the desire of Black people, especially those in the diaspora, to belong to a physical land that is budding with promise and development. It signifies their belonging within the history of the African continent.

Together, the three colours of the Pan-African flag represent the spirit of Black people—a dynamic community creating a space to call their own and a society free from racial oppression and discrimination. The flag is a powerful symbol of Black liberation, unity, and changemaking.

The flag's symbolism

The Pan-African flag, also known as the Afro-American flag, Black Liberation flag, UNIA flag, and several other names, is a symbol of unity, freedom, and pride for people of the African diaspora. The flag consists of three equal horizontal bands of red, black, and green, each colour carrying a specific meaning.

The red band represents the blood that was shed in the struggle for liberation and independence from slavery and racism. It symbolises the unity and shared history of all people of Black African ancestry and the blood that binds them together.

The black band represents the people of African descent themselves. It is a nod to their skin colour and a symbol of their strength and existence as a nation, even without a nation-state. This colour affirms the identity and existence of Black people as a unified community.

The green band symbolises the abundant natural wealth, fertility, and vegetation of the African continent. It represents the desire of Black people, especially those in the diaspora, to belong to and be connected with their ancestral homeland, which is rich in natural resources and promise for the future.

Together, these three colours and their symbolism unite people of African descent around the world, promoting a sense of solidarity, shared history, and destiny. The flag serves as a powerful emblem of Black liberation, pride, and political activism, reminding people of the struggles faced and the advancements yet to be made towards equity and justice.

The flag's creator

The Pan-African flag was created in 1920 by members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which was founded by Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey. Garvey was motivated to create the flag after hearing a racist 1900 song titled "Every Race Has a Flag But the Coon", which mocked the lack of a flag unifying Black people.

Garvey, who was the leader of the UNIA, wanted to give African people and those of African descent a symbol of unity and pride. He believed that a flag was a necessary symbol of political maturity and that acquiring one would be proof that the Black race had "politically come of age".

The UNIA formally adopted the flag on 13 August 1920, during a month-long convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The flag consists of three equal horizontal bands of red, black, and green, with each colour carrying a symbolic meaning. According to the UNIA, the red represents the blood that unites all people of Black African ancestry and that which was shed for their liberation; the black represents the people themselves, whose existence as a nation is affirmed by the flag; and the green symbolises the abundant natural wealth of Africa.

The flag became a symbol of black liberation and Black pride, especially during the Black Liberation movement of the 1960s. It has also been used to represent Pan-Africanist ideology and Garveyist ideologies in various countries and territories in Africa and the Americas.

The flag's other names

The Pan-African flag is also known by several other names, including:

• The Afro-American flag: a reference to its representation of black freedom, independence, and liberation for African Americans.
• The Bendera Ya Taifa: this is the Kiswahili translation of "flag of the Nation", referring to its usage during Kwanzaa.
• The Black Liberation flag: this name reflects the flag's role as a symbol of the worldwide liberation of Black people and Black pride during the Black Liberation movement of the 1960s.
• The International African flag: this name emphasises the flag's representation of the African diaspora and pan-Africanism.
• The Marcus Garvey flag: named after Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican political activist, journalist, and speaker who played a crucial role in the flag's creation and promotion.
• The UNIA flag: derived from the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), the organisation founded by Marcus Garvey that formally adopted the flag in 1920.
• The Universal African flag: this name underscores the flag's global significance and its representation of people of African ancestry worldwide.
• The Red Black Green (RBG) flag: a straightforward reference to the three colours of the flag, which each hold symbolic meaning.
• The Black Nationalist flag: this name highlights the flag's association with black nationalism and the affirmation of Black people's existence as a nation.

These names allude to the flag's rich history, symbolism, and its role in unifying and representing people of African descent across the globe.

Frequently asked questions