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Cultural Recognition: Black Heritage Flag Affirmed as a Symbol of Freedmen Identity


The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust has formally declared the Black Heritage Flag as a culturally protected symbol tied to the legacy of Verified Freedmen.


Originally designed in 1967 by Melvin Charles and Gleason T. Jackson, the Black Heritage Flag was created to give post-emancipation communities a distinct emblem of honor and identity. At a time when Freedmen had no visual representation of their journey after slavery, this flag stood as a proud symbol of strength, resilience, and unity.


This declaration does not reinterpret the flag’s meaning — it reclaims its rightful cultural lineage. The Trust affirms that the Black Heritage Flag, while broadly adopted, reflects a Freedmen-specific identity that emerged from our struggle and self-determination in America.


The flag will now be cataloged within the Freedmen Economic Locator and protected under the cultural authority of the Trust. Its origins, message, and public usage will be preserved in alignment with the Freedmen historical record — not generalized racial narratives.


Let it be known:

The Black Heritage Flag is part of our heritage, not a borrowed symbol.

It belongs to Verified Freedmen — and its story will not be erased.


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