Urdahl Opposes New Seal & Flag Designs
The Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission revealed its final choices on the new state flag and seal this week. State Representative Dean Urdahl says he recognizes that there was controversy with our current symbols, but he opposed any changes.
Urdahl says if changes were to be made, eliminating controversy should be paramount, but it appears the new design proposals – set to become effective May 11 – will further fan flames of division across Minnesota.
For example, the state statute creating the redesign commission says that no group shall be singled out in Minnesota’s new art, but the new state seal contains the name of the state written in the Dakota language.
The official language states “symbols that represent only a single community or person may not be included in a design.” To the contrary, the proposed seal uses the words, “Mni Sota Makoce,” a Dakota Indian phrase meaning “land where waters reflect the sky.” This likely will result in legal action as a violation of statute.
Additionally, our statehood date of 1858 is removed from the state seal after being deemed hurtful by some. The state slogan, “L’Etoile du Nord,” – Star of the North – also is removed from the seal because some believe it recalls a colonial past. And, people have pointed out our newly proposed flag bears a remarkable resemblance to the Somali state flag.
Further concerns have been raised regarding the commission’s composition and whether it will honor the collective will of Minnesotans as it selects new flag and seal designs. If objections to the existing flag and seal included they reflect racism and bias, the commission should not be selecting images that do likewise.
Urdahl says the fact that the DFL enacted legislation calling for the redesign of the flag and seal without providing the Legislature veto-power over the designs heightens the stakes on decisions the commission is making. He says when the new flag and seal come before the Legislature in the next session, they cannot veto the designs – only approve them.