The exterior dome of the Wisconsin state Capitol is seen in Madison Feb. 15, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — For the fifth straight year, the Juneteenth flag is flying over the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Community members and leaders gathered in Madison for the flag raising ceremony Tuesday.
June 19 marks “Juneteenth” which became a federal holiday in 2021. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last remaining enslaved people in the U.S., in Galveston, Texas, received word of the Emancipation Proclamation, more than two and a half years after it was issued.
The Juneteenth Flag features a star to represent Texas, the Lone Star State; a nova, or new star, representing a new beginning and the freedom of African Americans; the curve on the flag dividing the red and blue colors representing a “new horizon” and a future of “opportunities and promise” for Black Americans; and red, white, and blue colors, reminding us that people who were enslaved and their descendants shall be “forever free.”
Gov. Evers ordered the Juneteenth flag to be flown at the Wisconsin Capitol — for the first time in state history — in 2020.
In a news release, Evers said, in part, “Raising the Juneteenth Flag sends a message that here in Wisconsin, we celebrate Black history, culture, and resilience, we believe our differences and our diversity make us stronger, and we are committed to building a state that is more just and more equitable.”
Officials say the Juneteenth flag will replace the Progress Pride Flag through Wednesday at sunset in celebration of Juneteenth. However, it will not disrupt the U.S., Wisconsin and POW-MIA flags that regularly fly over the State Capitol building.
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