Not Just the Confederacy: Minnesota’s State Flag and Seal Celebrate Racism and Genocide

“The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota became official in 1861, with the present design legislated in 1983. It depicts a barefoot farmer plowing his field near St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River. His axe is driven into a tree trunk, with his rifle and powderhorn nearby. An Indian on horseback rides south, a summer setting sun in the background. The state motto, “L’Etoile du Nord”, or “Star of the North”, appears on a banner above the scenery. Around these images is the outermost ring, which reads “The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota”. The bottom of the outer ring contains the date 1858, which is when Minnesota gained statehood.” — Netstate.com

Black activists and abolitionists are (and have been) felling Confederate flags and monuments, including in Mississippi. It’s time (again, still) to talk about the Minnesota state flag and seal (“The Great…