TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Ben Haith, the creator of the Juneteenth flag, paid a visit to Tampa and shared what nationwide Juneteenth flag raisings mean to him.
Born in 1942 in Connecticut, Ben Haith remembers the history of Juneteenth being taught to him at a very young age.
“It was my mom and my aunt Anna, and hearing them talk as a youth about Juneteenth and it stayed with me,” Haith said.
Haith created a life centered around activism. He held leaders accountable, ran for office, and always pushed for justice and equality.
In 1997, Haith founded the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. While it may not have been a federal holiday at that time, Haith realized the day was missing something.
“I said this day needs a symbol,” Haith recalled.
He designed the Juneteenth flag, and in 2000 he copyrighted the design.
Juneteenth honors June 19, 1875, the day Major General Gordon Granger freed the remaining slaves in Galveston, Texas. It’s a move that came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
While Juneteenth did not become a national holiday until 2021, Haith said seeing the country honor Juneteenth with the raising of its flag means a lot to him.
“It makes me think about my mother when she first saw the finished design,” Haith said. “I brought it home to her, and it was just the smile on my mother’s face.”
There are several ways to honor and celebrate Juneteenth, including attending events, supporting a Black-owned business or educating oneself about the holiday. Here’s a full list of Juneteenth events happening across the Tampa Bay area.
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