Studio Photos by Pier Nicola D’Amico.
Stand for Racial Unity Symbol and Flag
Standing for a world of racial unity and kinship.
A note on the flag
Race is an illusion. Race is a reality.
In many people’s minds it is simple and fixed, yet genetics and history tell us race is complicated and fluid.
In late 2015, I wanted to have, but couldn’t find, a racial unity flag to fly outside of my home as a response to the hateful and divisive language I was hearing in the political sphere. It seemed to me that various cultural forces, events, and incidents were pushing people apart rather than bringing them together.
The importance of racial harmony is not an abstract notion to me.
I grew up as a minority white boy in a poor and predominantly black neighborhood during times of great social and racial unrest. My neighborhood wasn’t safe and I experienced what it means to feel vulnerable every day because of the color of your skin. Yet I was aware that my black playmates generally had it harder than I did.
And despite the troubles of the adult world, my friends and I, both black and white, found refuge on our little play-block oasis of Trinity Street. There we played sports through the seasons and bonded like brothers when we cut our fingers and mingled our blood in unity. We had a great childhood together.
I wonder what kind of America my daughter will see. She, like so many of her schoolmates at her extraordinarily diverse Philadelphia public school, is biracial (her mother, my wife, is a Japanese national). It seems to me that more people are happily living among people who look different from them than ever before. Perhaps a flag could express this.
After some rudimentary attempts at a circular design, I turned to my father Gerald Nichols, an accomplished fine artist, for help, and he created the pattern of five rings of overlapping colors that you see on this page. I liked the way in which his design for the Racial Unity Symbol expressed movement and displayed various color combinations interacting, like DNA sequences aligning—with each color of the circle sharing at least two segments of the circle with every other color. Later, I adapted the design to an electronic form and rounded the segments, giving the symbol a more natural and holistic feeling. The resulting synergy is meant to express a sentiment and an aspiration—people of different races making a better effort to understand each other and embrace each other.
News
“All are Welcome” Window Stickers Debut at Local Businesses in Philadelphia
Although we have only just recently released the “All are welcome” window sticker, it is now being displayed in the windows of a number of local Philadelphia businesses! We’ve heard back that customers have been asking after it to put in their own windows. The clear stickers provide an attractive and compact way (3” x 3”) to welcome patrons of all nationalities and races and push back against racism and divisiveness. The stickers provide an alternative to large signs that block out light or in some cases take up too much precious window space. The stickers are made to be applied to the inside of the window to help protect them from the elements. If you would like to have an “All are welcome” unity sticker mailed to you or installed on your window, please contact us. The cost is just $3 per sticker.
Racial Unity Flying Alongside LGBT Pride at the Weavers Way Co-op
In the midst of the cold gray days of February, which seem to reflect the current grim political atmosphere, the first appliqué Racial Unity flag made its debut, colorfully flying high above Mount Airy’s member-owned community food cooperative and progressive center, Weavers Way. Later, the Rainbow flag returned to fly alongside it.
Nothing like seeing flags fluttering in the wind to give some hope and cheer!
Along with the rollout of the flag, we placed posters outside and inside the Co-op, encouraging members to give to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Toward that effort, Racial Unity CAR MAGNETS are now on sale at the register for just $3.25, with one dollar of each sale going to the SPLC. Please buy one for your car to show support for the cause and spread the message!
Photo Shoot a Great Time at D’Amico Studios
Over Thanksgiving weekend, high-school friends from SLA (Science Leadership Academy), GAMP (Girard Academic Music Program), CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts), and Penn Charter got together to model Stand For Racial Unity gear at D’Amico Studios and support the cause. It was a fun time and a special experience for everybody. Most of the kids had never modeled before but things went smoothly with Nic D’Amico’s laid-back approach and steady hand.
Visit the gallery page to see the photos from the shoot and stay tuned for some exciting video projects being hatched at SLA . . .
Traditional Appliqué Flag to Debut at Weavers Way Co-op
Great news!
Humphrys Flag Company, right here in Philadelphia, is producing a traditional appliqué Racial Unity Flag for us.
When the flag is complete, it will soon make its debut flying outside of Weavers Way Co-op, the cultural center of our proudly diverse and inclusive community in Mount Airy.
Visit the Shop
Support the Southern Poverty Law Center by making a purchase from the Stand for Racial Unity shop.
Download the Racial Unity Flag
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License by Aron Goldschneider / Gerald Nichols.
This zip file contains the Racial Unity Flag in .eps and .png formats (971KB). A transparent version without the gray background is included.
Download the Racial Unity Symbol
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License by Aron Goldschneider / Gerald Nichols.
This zip file contains the Racial Unity Symbol without the text or sidebar in .eps and .png formats. A transparent version without the gray background is included.
