17 Jul 2013

Harlem (New York, NY, USA)

These days I was thinking "what flag do the supporters carry to Harlem Globetrotters exhibitions?". Probably, flags (including derivatives) of USA, New York state and city, some fan flags, but not a flag of Harlem. Because Harlem, as far as I know, don't have its own flag.

The Harlem neighborhood is internationally famous for its importance in African-American cultural scenario, including the "Harlem Renaissance" in the 1920s and 1930s. I would seek a flag that represent the importance of Harlem for African-Americans and the importance of African-Americans for Harlem but that wasn't as potentially divisive as, for example, the Hammons flag that fly on the neighborhood.

After some thought, I came with this flag:















The blue and orange stripes come from the flag of New York, and represent the fact that Harlem was originally founded by Dutch as Nieuw Haarlem. The black color represent the importance of the neighborhood for the African-American cultural scenario, but also the hard moments, like the 1964 Harlem Riot and the Great Depression. The stars come from the flag of Haarlem, the Dutch city from where the neighborhood gained its name, but also the religiosity of its inhabitants and the hope that the good old days will return.

Your comments are welcome!
If you have any suggestion about how a Harlem flag should  look like, I'm glad to listen.

1 comment:

Every comment is greatly welcome!