Grammy-wining R&B singer Macy Gray is calling for a redesign of the American flag to represent its diverse population.
In an op-ed published on MarketWatch, the singer suggested that the Stars and Stripes “no longer represents democracy and freedom.”
“The Confederate battle flag, which was crafted as a symbol of opposition to the abolishment of slavery, is just recently tired. We don’t see it much anymore,” Gray started her op-ed. “However, on the 6th, when the stormers rained on the nation’s most precious hut, waving Old Glory — the memo was received: the American flag is its replacement.”
“It no longer represents democracy and freedom. It no longer represents ALL of us. It’s not fair to be forced to honor it. It’s time for a new flag,” she added.
Debating about the stars, Gray said that the flag only has 50 stars, when it should include 52 stars, as D.C. and Puerto Rico have been lobbying for statehood for decades.
Of the flag’s stripes, Gray wrote how the Smithsonian documents that the white stripes represent purity and innocence. “America is great,” wrote Gray. “It is beautiful. Pure, it ain’t. It is broken and in pieces.”
“What if the stripes were OFF-white?” she asked. “What if there were 52 stars to include D.C. and Puerto Rico? What if the stars were the colors of ALL of us — your skin tone and mine — like the melanin scale? The blue square represents vigilance and perseverance; and the red stripes stand for valor. America is all of those things. So, what if those elements on the flag remained? What if the flag looked like this?”
“Sixty-two years later, in 2021, we have changed and it’s time for a reset, a transformation,” wrote Gray. “One that represents all states and all of us.”
(Photo: Jan Prunk)
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