Historical Flags of Our Ancestors - Modern American Protest and Message Flags
1950-1953
50th Anniversary of the Korean War 1950-2000
The United States Department of Defense has added a Korean War Anniversary Flag to their officially sanctioned set of commemorative flags (Similar commemorative flags were issued for World War II and the Vietnam War ), both to honor and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Korean War and those who served in it. The Korean War, often called the "Forgotten War" was the first "police action" of what would become known as "The Cold War" between the Western democracies and the Soviet Union. Often misunderstood by the American people, the war was fought between the forces of the United Nations and South Korea against the Communist North Koreans and Red Chinese between 1950 and 1953.
The commemoration flag, authorized by Congress and issued by Department of Defense, was meant to thank and honor Korean War veterans and their families; especially those who lost loved ones. Over a four-year period, more than commemorative events were scheduled to show that a "grateful nation remembered" their service and sacrifice. Between 2000 to 2003, events took place throughout the United States, Republic of Korea and the pacific region, reflecting the US military, its allies and the United Nations' concerted efforts during the Korean War.
Centered on Korean War 50th Anniversary Flag is the symbol of South Korea surrounded by 22 gold stars representing the troops of the United Nations.  The motto "Freedom is Not Free." appears in both English and Korean written in gold at the bottom of the flag. Also displayed honoring the Korean War Veterans has been the Korean War Veterans flag.
Juneteenth Flag 2000
original design by Ben Haith
Variant Stars and Stripes #1
"The Middle Passage Flag"
original design by Carl Sharif
Variant Stars and Stripes #2
"The Mainlander Flag"
original design by Carl Sharif
Variant Stars and Stripes #3
"The Islander Flag"
original design by Carl Sharif
Variant Stars and Stripes #4
First seen at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama 2009
Juneteenth Flags 2000
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery in America. It was on June 19, 1863 (Juneteenth), that Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to deliver the news that the Civil War was over and the slaves were free. Although they had been freed by the "Emancipation Proclamation," signed by President Abraham Lincoln almost two years earlier in 1863, it wasn't until Juneteenth that they learned of it.
Since 1980 the Juneteenth Celebration has been an officially recognized Texas State holiday, and has now spread far beyond its Texas origins. Today more than 30 states have followed Texas's lead by either making it a state holiday, or sponsoring celebrations.  Some cities sponsor week-long celebrations, culminating on June 19, while others hold shorter celebrations. The day is, of course, especially meaningful for black Americans, as it not only commemorates a historical day that forever changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of African Americans, but also marked one of the greatest moral victory's of our nation's history. It restored basic human rights to a group of Americans, who never should have been denied them in the first place. Its growing popularity acknowledges this period in our history, one that shaped and continues to influence our society today.
Credit for the creation of the original Juneteenth Flag goes to Ben Haith, the former Massachusetts Juneteenth State Director and, in 1997, the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF).  The original flag was raising in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2000. The tradition of raising the Juneteenth Flag at the Dillaway Thomas House in the Roxbury Heritage Park on every June 19 continues to this day.
Besides the flying of the original flag, in recent years several variant versions of the Stars and Stripes have become increasingly popular, called the "All American Flag Series," they replace the red white and blue national colors with various combinations of the colors of the African Heritage movement. They were designed by Carl Sharif of Newark, New Jersey.
The Middle Passage Flag (Variant #1) is dedicated to the memory of all Africans who lost their lives during the Middle Passage, the horible voyage faced by African slaves on their way to the Americas. Black stripes stand for their deaths and green ones for their youth, for most of them were young people. The black canton stands for African origins of the flag users and red stars are for the blood loss by their ancestors, not only during the Middle Passage, but also during the latter sufferings and struggles in America, this symbolism being common to all the three flags. The Mainlander Flag (Variant #2) is meant to represent the North American people of African origin, which is why it resembles the original Stars and Stripes the most, with seven red and six green stripes. The Islander Flag (Variant #3) has the stripes in Garvey colors, reminding us that the African traditions in the New World are best preserved in the Caribbean Islands and South America, as well as that Marcus Garvey himself was a native of Jamaica. This set of flags thus represents the Afro-American population with all the complexities of its identity.
A flag similar to the Islander Flag, but with the stars changed to green (Variant #4) was first seen in Washington, D.C. at the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009. While nothing else is currently known about this flag, its meaning is obviously similar to that of the All American Flags, which might have provided the inspiration to its designers.
Also seen during the Juneteenth Parades and Celebrations are lots of the normal stars and stripes, but also other historical Afro-American flags variants. See the " Black Liberation Flag ," the " Hammons´ African American Flag ," the " African American Unity Flag ," and the " African American Flag House ," as examples of these flags.
AIDS Awareness Flag
HIV/AIDS Awareness Program Flag 2001
"The history of HIV and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in the USA began in 1981, when the United States of America became the first country to officially recognize a strange new illness among a small number of gay men. Today, it is generally accepted that the origin of AIDS probably lies in Africa. However, the USA was the first country to bring AIDS into the public consciousness and the American reaction undoubtedly contributed to the establishment of AIDS as one of the most politicized, feared and controversial diseases in the history of modern medicine."
April 10 has been made National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, as part of the Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Month in the United States.  Through education, prevention, and treatment many groups are working to eliminate the spread of HIV/AIDS, and eventually eradicate it.
D.C. Taxation Without Representation Flag
D.C. Statehood Green Party Flag
District of Columbia Statehood Movement Flag 2002
The District of Columbia Statehood Movement was a political movement that advocated making the District of Columbia a state which dates back to the 1970s. Statehood would give the citizens of Washington, DC, full representation in the United States Congress and full control over their own local affairs, which they don't enjoy at this time.  Unfortunately, there is very little political support in Congress for the proposal and since 2003 the proposal seems mostly abandoned.
Another suggestion made for the District of Columbia is that they create a special government district just around the National Mall in downtown Washington to include only the Capitol, the White House, and the Supreme Court (with no permanent residents), which would be under the direct control of Congress. The remainder of Washington could become a separate city, and once again be part of Maryland.
In November of 2000, the DC Department of Motor Vehicles began issuing license plates bearing the slogan "Taxation without representation." President Bill Clinton had these plates placed on the presidential limousines; however, President George W. Bush, in one of his first official acts as president, had the plates removed. The second flag shown here resulted from  the merger of the DC Statehood and Green parties in 2006 forming the DC Statehood Green Party.
Police Mourning Flag
Police Mourning and Police Support c2002
Fire Fighters Support, Thin Blue and Red Line Flags
This flag began as a police mourning arm band used in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area and was at first typically worn when an officer was killed in the line of duty. It stood for the "thin blue line" of police protection.  It evolved into an auto sticker and finally into a flag. It was also used as a show of respect for the police officers killed on September 11 and was also seen as a variant with a red stripe instead of a blue one for fire fighters.