Richmond celebrated its inaugural raising of the Pan-African RBG Flag on the main flagpole at City Hall today.
The flag raising followed a proclamation recognizing Black History Month at the Richmond City Council on Tuesday.
The Pan-African Flag is a symbol of global black pride and unity, with other cities such as St. Louis and Boston also raising them in appreciation of African-American history and culture.
“This year as the City of Richmond commemorates the Great Migrations that brought many African-American families to Richmond, we will raise our flag to honor their history in this great city,” city officials said.
The flag will remain through Feb. 28.
“Richmond is a very diverse community and we like to recognize and celebrate that diversity every way we can,” Mayor Tom Butt said during the ceremony.
The mayor’s office recorded the ceremony and shared it on Facebook.
Butt was joined by City Councilmembers Demnlus Johnson III and Eduardo Martinez in raising the flag as a symbol of diversity and unity in the city.
“We want to show that this is not only a diverse city, but a city that is safe for African Americans,” Johnson said, “And we most definitely cherish the contributions, not only made in the past, but those being made today.”
For more information on the history of the flag, view this NPR’s Code Switch article.
See the full video produced by Mayor Tom Butt’s office from today’s flag raising ceremony:
