Culturally Inspired Pan African RGB Flag Raising Ceremony Supports Black Lives And The Racial Justice Reform Movement In Wilmington

From the City of Wilmington:

August 14, 2020

Celebration in Spencer Plaza was a homage to UNIA’s Marcus Garvey

Dozens of people attended a ceremony in Wilmington yesterday as the RGB Pan African Flag was raised in its permanent location in Spencer Plaza to mark the 100th anniversary of its adoption by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1920. The event, organized by the City together with local community activists/artists Richard Raw and Vanity Constance, was the first of a series of community-created and supported events and visual art initiatives that Mayor Purzycki said sends an important message about Wilmington’s support for equality and fairness.

The lively ceremony, which kicked off shortly after 6 p.m. and was live-streamed on social media in an effort to help with social distancing, featured African drummers and speeches by government officials and community representatives. August 13, 2020, also marked 100 years since the signing of the Declaration of the Rights of the Negro People of the World by the UNIA, chaired by Marcus Garvey. This document is one of the earliest and most comprehensive human rights declarations in U. S. history.

“Today we gather to offer a sincere gesture of respect as well as one of hope and reconciliation,” said Mayor Purzycki in welcoming attendees to the burial place of Peter Spencer. “One small but significant step on a long journey we must take together – not because it is just, but because we must. There is no social or racial justice that can ever be achieved alone, one of us without the other.”

Other speakers included Council President Hanifa Shabazz, Richard Raw, Rev. Lawrence Livingston of the Mother African Union Church, and Iya Olakunle Oludina of Wilmington’s Ile Igoke Yoruba Temple. Local performer Nadjah Nicole sang the Black National Anthem accompanied on keyboards by Jea Street II as the Pan African flag was raised above the plaza. This was followed by performances from by the Twin Poets – State Poet Laureates Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Al Mills – and Richard Raw.

The Mayor said Wilmington is committed to supporting national and global efforts to elevate the lives of Black people. “The City is making an ongoing effort to support racial justice reforms and the ideals espoused by the Black Lives Matter movement,” the Mayor said later. “These upcoming efforts are just the beginning of a substantive drive by government and the community to send a clear message to our own residents, to those who conduct business in Wilmington, and to those who visit us that we are committed to creating a just city where all members of our community are cared for and treated with equal respect while being empowered to pursue their individual dreams and aspirations.”

About the Pan African Flag
The red, black, and green flag that will fly prominently in Wilmington in Spencer Plaza, is referred to as the Pan-African, Marcus Garvey, UNIA, or Black Liberation flag and serves as both a cultural and political ideology for the solidarity of peoples of African descent. With its horizontal red, black, and green stripes, it was adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) at a conference in New York City in 1920. For several years prior to this time, UNIA leader Marcus Garvey talked about the need for a Black liberation flag as a necessary symbol of political maturity. Red in the flag stands for blood — both the blood shed by Africans who died in their fight for liberation, and the shared blood of the African people; Black represents Black people; and green is a symbol of growth and the natural fertility of Africa.

About Peter Spencer Plaza
During a major urban renewal project in 1967, a decision was made to build a new government office complex on French Street for city, state, and federal offices. The Mother AUMP Church (African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church) started by Peter Spencer in 1813, was the first independent Black denomination in the country. It was located where the plaza is today on a portion of the proposed government complex on French Street between 8th and 9th Streets. The plaza was also the site of the first Big Quarterly (or August Quarterly), which was started by Spencer in 1814. After a period of negotiation, the congregation relocated, and the church building was demolished. In its place "Peter Spencer Plaza" was created.

At the heart of the plaza is a statue that commemorates Peter Spencer, who was born in 1782 and died in 1843. The plaza statue, "Father and Son," was placed there in 1973. Created by Delaware sculptor Charles Parks, it depicts a black male figure cradling a sleeping child in his arms. Larger-than-life and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, the man is not a direct representation of the religious leader but rather a symbol of the hope for the future that he inspired. The remains of Peter Spencer, his wife Annes, and ten of his followers are interred in a vault beneath the statue. After Spencer’s death, there was a split in the church. The African Union Methodist Episcopal Church (AUMP) and the Union American Methodist Episcopal (UAME) both trace their history to the original church at 819 French Street.

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.