By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
On Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Seattle City Councilmembers Joy Hollingsworth and Rob Saka, Seattle-King County NAACP President L. Darrell Powell, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, and community members hoisted the Black Liberation Flag above Seattle City Hall to recognize and celebrate Black Heritage. A large contingent of community leaders and members made the event a moment of tremendous pride, evident in the diverse delegation present.
Guest speakers, including Mayor Harrell, newly elected City Councilmembers Joy Hollingsworth (Dist. 3) and Rob Saka (Dist. 1), and L. Darrell Powell, President of the Seattle Chapter of the NAACP, eloquently paid tribute to the historical significance of the ceremony.
The event, held in the Bertha Knight Landes Hall with a balcony overlooking the flagpole, allowed community leaders to reflect on how history, particularly Black history, has influenced their lives.
“What a journey, now young folks can see here in the Bertha Knight Landes Hall, filled with this beautiful, brilliant, resilient, powerful community, getting ready to raise the Black Liberation Flag here at City Hall,” Harrell proclaimed. “We come from different communities, churches, schools, upbringings, states – but we are creatures of faith, and we are the cumulative because we know, as the anthem says, it’s a tough road, but we are resilient.”
Hollingsworth shared her childhood experience of meeting Rosa Parks and being raised amidst local civil rights leaders.
“I think about Black History Month and my mother always taught me and my grandmother always taught me, “knowing your history reveals your potential greatness,” says Hollingsworth. “Growing up in the Central District I had the opportunity growing up around a lot of civil rights legends. Literally at the knees of civil rights legends. I would sit around the dinner table and listen to them talk about the history of our city and their resilience and I loved that.”
Saka reflected on his African heritage as the son of a Nigerian father and the symbolism of both the American flag and the Black Liberation Flag. He reminded the audience of his service in the Air Force and his allegiance to both symbols. Powell reflected on his connection with Mayor Harrell during their high school years, his graduate work at Harvard, and their continued collaboration with the NAACP.
“I am the proud son of a Nigerian immigrant who raised me as a single parent and I want to take a quick moment to pause and reflect and celebrate,” says Saka. “My dad came to this country with nothing, from one of the poorest villages in all of Lagos and today I have the honor of appearing alongside the city mayor, many of my colleagues and you the community to raise this flag.”
The Black Liberation Flag, created in 1920 by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) under Marcus Garvey’s leadership, symbolizes the characteristics of African life with its colors: red, black, and green. The historic value of these colors, representing Black or African liberation, is evident in the flags of many African, Caribbean, and South American countries. The Black Liberation Flag was Black Americans’ attempt to unify and connect with Africa and her diaspora.
“Without the community none of this happens,” says Powell. “In history, I asked myself what does this flag really represent, I didn’t know and so researching I discovered Marcus Garvey was the origin of the flag and about celebrating the unity across the African diaspora and African American community accepted it and continued to honor the flag.”
“The flag is a symbol, the red, black and green. Red represents the blood our forefathers shed for our liberation, the Black represents our Black ancestry and the green speaks to our abundance and resilience. And so, while those are symbols, symbols matter, it helps shape our identity,” Powell added.
Converging around the flagpole, including 10-year-old twins who led the audience in singing the Black National Anthem, attendees took turns hoisting the flags. Seattle graced the event with beautiful weather, making the colors of both the Black Liberation and American flags glisten in the sun’s rays.
“What you see is a strong, vibrant Black community,” Harrell said. “We may be outnumbered, but we are never outworked. We can show all underrepresented groups that through faith, commitment to one another, and sheer courage, we can accomplish great things.”
