It’s been nearly a year since the Milwaukee Common Council talked about, got angry about, and ultimately did nothing about the nearly decade-old issue of replacing the city’s official, 1950s-era flag with the so-called “People’s Flag of Milwaukee.”
And now, dear god, the flag debate is set to return. AGAIN. But this time it won’t be about simply replacing the (still-official) 1950s-era flag with the (still-unofficial) “People’s Flag.” This time, it might result in a completely new design that’s neither the 1950s-era flag or the “People’s Flag.” hahaha. lol. oh god why is this happening again
On Tuesday, Ald. Peter Burgelis and “a broad coalition of Common Council members” filed a substitute resolution to “officially launch the long-anticipated effort to design a new official City of Milwaukee flag.” The proposed resolution “creates a 9-member Milwaukee City Flag Task Force charged with managing a community-driven campaign to solicit, evaluate, and recommend new flag designs.”
The resolution will be voted on by the full Common Council on June 24. If approved, the Common Council would vote on the task force’s recommended flag design by the end of 2025.
“Milwaukee is a great city and deserves a great flag, and a process where everyone has the opportunity to participate,” Burgelis said in a press release on Tuesday, still flying high from his recent success in proposing long-anticipated city ordinances for…let’s see here…what was it again…oh yeah…trampolines. “Though I suspect there will be many duplicate submissions, I hope that all of the design finalists will reflect our city today along with our culture, our future, and our shared Milwaukee pride. This task force is the first step in building a flag that resonates with all Milwaukeeans ahead of the City’s 180th anniversary in 2026.”
Still-official Milwaukee city flag
The task force would include three members appointed by the Mayor, three members appointed by the Common Council President, and three members appointed by the Chair of the Milwaukee Arts Board.
“The City of Milwaukee deserves a flag that is unique, unifying and aesthetically appealing. I am eager to see the recommendations that emerge from the Milwaukee City Flag Task Force,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said in the press release. “I appreciate the efforts of Alderman Burgelis and the other sponsors of this resolution, and I am optimistic Milwaukee will have a fitting flag approved soon.”
As for the details of submissions and voting, the press release explains:
The resolution directs the Milwaukee City Flag Task Force to collaborate with city departments including the Department of Administration – Information Technology Management Division and the Milwaukee Public Library to ensure both online and in-person design submissions are accessible to all residents. The task force will evaluate and rank up to 10 finalist flag designs using modern vexillological standards and strong local symbolism.
Questions of inclusion and diversity have long dogged the “People’s Flag.” The design—”Sunrise Over The Lake”—was the winner of an unofficial grassroots contest in 2016. A 2024 report from Milwaukee Chief Equity Officer Bernadette Karanja criticized the lack of representation in the contest’s judges. It also claimed that the “People’s Flag” was flown “predominantly on the East Side of Milwaukee,” and that there was “little to no representation of this flag on the North and immediate South sides of Milwaukee where Black and Brown people reside.”
“This flag is coined the ‘People’s Flag,’ but honestly, which people?” Ald. Mark Chambers Jr. said in 2024. “This flag [the ‘People’s Flag’] does not represent the majority-minority that we are in this city, plain and simple.”
“DEI!” Ald. Bob Bauman said in 2024. “It’s the paradigm that’s supposed to inform all our actions—all our actions except, apparently, the adoption of a flag, a symbol of a city that may be that symbol for decades ahead.”
A report prepared by Burgelis argued that the process was indeed “equitable, inclusive, and reflective of all people in the City of Milwaukee.”
People’s Flag of Milwaukee
The issue of updating and replacing Milwaukee’s city flag dates back nearly a decade. In 2015, inspired by a TED Talk in which podcast host Roman Mars called the official Milwaukee flag one of the worst in the country, Milwaukee graphic designer Steve Kodis and others spearheaded a grassroots contest to come up with a new flag. In June 2016, following a 1,000-entry design contest, Robert Lenz’s “Sunrise Over The Lake” was chosen by online voters.
The symbol was soon embraced by much of Milwaukee, appearing on everything from shirts and stickers to bikes and beer. In July 2018, “People’s Flag” organizers made a presentation to the Common Council seeking official adoption of the flag. The presentation began well but was effectively shut down when various alders raised concerns about the non-inclusive nature of the contest. Further discussion—and the question of whether Milwaukee actually needed a new flag—was punted to the Milwaukee Arts Board.
In the fall and winter of 2018, following another presentation from “People’s Flag” organizers, the Milwaukee Arts Board determined that a new flag was indeed needed, and that the “People’s Flag” contest was indeed non-inclusive. The Board recommended that a request for proposal (RFP) be set up to come up with a new, official Milwaukee flag. On April 25, 2019, the Steering and Rules Committee approved a resolution to create a new process to come up with an official city flag. That effort stalled, however, thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burgelis revived the dormant flag issue in 2024. In September of that year, following a series of summer “Flag Roadshow” events, the Steering and Rules Committee voted 5-3 to adopt the “People’s Flag.” But that effort—and a proposal to put the question of a new city flag to a referendum—was snuffed out by the full Common Council months later.
“This is more than a design campaign,” Burgelis said in Tuesday’s press release. “It’s a chance to unify Milwaukeeans around a symbol we can all stand behind—and fly proudly.”
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