The Pan-African Flag: What the Red, Black, and Green Mean
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The Pan-African flag, red, black, and green, is one of the most powerful symbols of African unity and Black liberation. Created by Marcus Garvey in 1920, it has inspired generations of African and African diaspora movements around the world.
The Three Colours
- Red: The blood that unites all people of African descent, and the blood shed in the struggle for liberation.
- Black: The Black people whose existence as a nation is affirmed by the flag.
- Green: The abundant natural wealth of Africa.
Marcus Garvey and the UNIA
Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican-born Pan-African leader, created the flag in 1920 for his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). He declared: "Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride."
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About the Author
Isaac Prempeh is the founder of Afropop Socks, a British-Ghanaian designer and entrepreneur based in London. He founded Afropop Socks in 2019 to celebrate authentic African cultural heritage through bold wearable design. Afropop Socks is now stocked at the Smithsonian NMAAHC, Tate Modern, V&A Museum, Natural History Museum, Barbican Centre, Selfridges, and MoMA New York.