Reparations Means Being Proud of Your True (Tri) Colors

More than 80 years ago, a man saw that a people united by racial oppression - through the remnants of slavery, segregation and colonialism, needed a greater unifier. In response to an extremely popular song of 1900, "Every Race Has a Flag but the Coon," Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA & ACL) created the "Tri-Colors of Africa" aka Black Liberation/Pan-African Flag. On August 13, 1920 the UNIA adopted the flag in Article 39 of the Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World.

Later in 1921, Mr. Garvey stated the importance stated the importance of a flag thus:

Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride. Aye! In song and mimicry they have said, "Every race has a flag but the coon." How true! Aye! But that was said of us four years ago. They can't say it now...

So, Reparations means being proud of your true (tri) colors. Why should we - a free people - be ashamed of the Red, Black and Green? Why should we - a free people - be afraid to display the Red, Black and Green? Why can we not listen to Steele Pulse and "Rally round the flag...rally round the Red, Gold, Black and Green?



Reparations means being proud of your true (tri) colors. I could not help but think about this recently. As I traveled through the South on my way to the ATL, I saw numerous Confederate Flags flying...White folks proud of their Confederate (treasonous) heritage. There are flags on t-shirts, tattoos, flying on flag poles, displayed on bumper stickers...everywhere you look, you can see Confederate Pride. And in Atlanta - a stronghold of the Gay Community - I see Gay Pride in abundance. Yet, everywhere there is Gay Pride. You have seen it...through rainbow flags displayed on shirts, on bumper stickers, flying out-front businesses and etc. Confederates are not ashamed of their flag...they have pride. Gays are not afraid of displaying their flag...they have pride. But, where is the Black man's pride? Where is the Black woman's pride? Why are we ashamed of the Red, Black and Green? Why is our flag not displayed?

Reparations means being proud of your true (tri) colors. And, the Rainbow Flag - and Gay Community - is a great example. The argument against the Tri-Colors of Africa, is that it does not represent a Nation. But, neither does the Rainbow Flag represent a physical nation. It does unite a people and demonstrate their pride. The Tri-Colors of Africa should unite our people, and demonstrate our pride in our Blackness...it should serve as a symbol of our freedom and a proud display should be a testimony of our freedom.

So, rally round the flag...rally round the Red, Gold, Black and Green!

Come and Get Your Reparations!