Did Minnesota Redesign Its Flag to Look Like Somalia’s? Here’s the Truth Behind the Viral Claim

The new state flag adopted by Minnesota has been in the spotlight and people on social media have argued that the design has been changed to resemble the national flag of Somalia. Comparisons started to spread further when Minnesota governor Tim Walz became the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, according to Reuters.

The online posts refer to the blue color scheme of the flag and the presence of a star, suggesting that the characteristics are a reflection of the flag of Somalia. The similarities have been indicated as being deliberate or politically inspired by some users.

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Such allegations however, fail to address the way and the reason why the flag was redesigned in the first place.

The new flag was put in place in May after an extended process that took three years and involved submission of the new flag by the people, legislation and expert advice. The documentation of that process helps to put into perspective the allegations that are being spread.

The designer whose work was used in creating the final version of the Minnesota flag denied that the flag of Somalia was the inspiration behind the new Minnesota flag; so did a flag expert on whom the redesign commission consulted. The participants mentioned that the design is all Minnesota-based in symbols and history.

The final design was inspired by the submission of Minnesota resident Andrew Prekker who told Reuters that he never looked at any other country flags along the way.

Member of the North American Vexillological Association who recommended the redesign, Brian Cham, stated that the similarities mentioned in the Internet are superficial and incidental.

The reason why Minnesota replaced its flag

Complaints about the Minnesota previous flag go as far as 2017, when pupils complained about the design of the flag. Vexillologists who criticized the flag later also made those issues.

Cham wrote an email to Reuters saying the old flag contravened all guidelines of good flag design. He also said it was too busy with too many little things and colors and the addition of the word Minnesota to the flag implied that it was not identifiable easily.

Another issue that was raised by Cham was the image on the seal of the old flag where a white settler was taking the place of a native American. He claimed that the symbolism was not sensitive and not all Minnesotans felt it.

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The process of the choice of the new design

The legislature of Minnesota in 2023 created a state house bill that formed the Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission. The commission consulted on its submissions with people and has introduced a final design of a flag in December 2023. Design adoption started in May as per Reuters.

The last flag is dark blue with a shape of Minnesota which symbolizes the outline of Minnesota and a field of lighter blue which symbolizes the water resources of the state. There is an eight-point star denoting the North Star, which is associated with the state motto, L’etoile Du Nord, and is located in the state Capitolrotunda.

The reason the Somali parallel fails

The flag of Somalia has five points in it, each representing a region of historical Somalia. The flag of Minnesota incorporates an eight-point star and features the form of the state so much that Cham mentioned it was a major difference.

Cham also told Reuters that it is a tenuous similarity, because blue backgrounds and the use of stars are common in flags all over the world.

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