Commission finalizes new Minnesota state flag – Minnesota Reformer

The State Emblems Redesign Commission selected the new Minnesota state flag on Tuesday. 

The design is a variation of submission 1943, designed by 24-year-old Minnesota artist Andrew Prekker.

The flag contains a white North Star emblazoned on an abstract shape of Minnesota in navy blue, with a light blue field extending from the Minnesota shape. 

Commission Chair Luis Fitch said he was happy with the final outcome. 

Ahead of the commission’s final vote, Fitch made a case for the design, saying he saw the Mississippi river in the light blue field on the flag. 

“I see the Mississippi River pointing up to the North Star and that’s it,” he said. “I think we’re forgetting that the most important river in the United States and one of the best ones in the world … starts here.”

The commission adopted the design as the new flag for the state of Minnesota by a vote of 11-1.

Public reaction on social media was mixed. 

Republicans prep campaign against new flag and seal

The two Republican non-voting members of the commission, state Sen. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa and state Rep. Bjorn Olson of Fairmont, said Tuesday they took issue with the commission’s process and would be evaluating ways to challenge the results. 

The lawmakers especially objected to the redesign of the state seal, which includes “Mni Sóta Makoc̣e,” the Dakota phrase meaning “land where the waters reflect the sky.”

The Republicans cited the legislation establishing the State Emblems Redesign Commission, which states “symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design.”

Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley, argued that because there are four recognized Dakota tribes in Minnesota, using the language does not represent just one community, and that the Dakota language was already on the previous seal in the word “Minnesota.” 

The commission’s back-and-forth over the issue previewed what will be a culture war flashpoint for Minnesota politicians in the upcoming legislative session, if the Republicans follow through with their threats to challenge the adoption of the new flag and seal.