January 7, 2025
The African American Flag and Pride Flag both will likely fly in Bob Hart Square in downtown Merced during Black History Month and Pride Month.
The African American Flag – which includes the colors of red, black and green – will be raised in Bob Hart Square on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month.
The flag, which will bear the words “Black History Month,” will remain until the end of February.
The NAACP of Merced County requested the flag to be raised in recognition the numerous and important contributions of African Americans to the history of the United States.
Similarly, the Pride Flag – traditionally a striped rainbow flag to recognize the LGBTQIA+ community – will be raised in Bob Hart Square in June, which is Pride month. The request was submitted by CalPride Valle Central, based in Merced.
The Merced City Council unanimously approved both requests during their Monday meeting and will formally vote on the items at a later meeting.
Since 2021, a variety of flags have been flown in downtown Merced, including the Pride Flag, Mexican Flag, Italian Flag, Armed Forces Flag and the POW MIA Flag, Mayor Matthew Serratto said.
More than half a dozen residents spoke during public comment, all in support of raising the flags.
“It is not just okay to be an ally, not today and not anymore,” said Norma Cardona, a local educator. “If so, we must be anti authoritarian, be anti racist and be anti hate.”
“Steps like flying the African American flag and the Pride flag is a first step to be anti-racist and anti-hate. It is to shine a light of love, of peace and of justice,” she said.
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community said that raising the Pride Flag sends the message they are welcome to live as their authentic selves in Merced.
“Growing up, I lived in a time and place where safety, protection and respect for queer people were virtually nonexistent. It was a time when we had no rights, no visibility, and little hope that our community could ever thrive here in the Central Valley,” said Katalina Zambrano, the executive director of CalPride Valle Central.
“But today, I see a city that has evolved – a city where inclusivity and support for queer individuals are no longer just dreams, but realities of progress. Merced is becoming a place where people like me, people who have fought for the right to simply exist, can finally see it and feel a sense of belonging,” Zambrano said.
Councilmember Mike Harris said that while he’s never been against the LGBTQIA+ community, he was ignorant about it for most of his life.
Raising his Millennial daughter changed that, he said, adding that he was happy to support the flag request.
“I raised a millennial daughter who probably taught me at least as much as I taught her,” said Harris, referring to himself as an ‘old white guy.’
“Her friends were numerous, and they were diverse,” he said. “I grew to love them all, and I watched them love who they loved.”
Black History Month has evolved from an event started by historian Carter G. Woodson during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, according to the Library of Congress. In 1986, Congress passed a law designating February as Black History Month.
Pride Month started as a march and is celebrated in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Former President Bill Clinton in 1999 issued a proclamation declaring June as Pride month.
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