MN lawmakers to hear proposal to redesign state flag over "racist undertones"

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota lawmakers are considering a proposal that would create a 16-member commission to redesign the state flag.

Supporters of the plan say the state flag right now doesn't pass the good flag test for its design -- simple designs with meaningful symbols, few colors and no words -- described by the North American Vexillological Association, a group of flag enthusiasts who study flags.

Some have also suggested that there are racist undertones to the current design of the flag, so they want to get people together and think about changing that for the future.

DFL Rep. Mike Freiberg, who sponsored the bill, said the imagery on the seal -- which is on the flag -- needs reimagination. It depicts a Native American riding on horseback into the distance as a white farmer tills the land, which has racist undertones, he said.

"It has a very clear connotation," he said. "I just don't think it's a fair representation of Minnesota history, the diagram that's on the seal. It wasn't designed with input from the people it depicts on it, and I think that's a real problem."

Previous efforts to change the flag have failed. The legislature would have to adopt the new designs recommended by the commission by May 2025.

The first flag was adopted in 1893 and it also included the state seal, but the legislature changed it to the current design with the blue background in 1957, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.

Lawmakers have scheduled a hearing for 1 p.m. Tuesday.