In February 2023, the Minnesota Legislature established a State Emblems Redesign Commission to design and adopt a new state flag. The decision to change the state flag came after many Native American groups called the seal on the flag offensive.
On May 11, 2024, the state of Minnesota officially adopted a new flag design. But viral social media posts claim Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz was responsible for picking the new design and chose one because it was similar to the flag of Somalia.
“Kamala Harris’s VP choice, Tim Walz, is the governor who just changed the Minnesota flag so it could resemble the Somalian flag,” a post with over 860K views says.
THE QUESTION
Did Tim Walz choose a new Minnesota flag because it resembled the flag of Somalia?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, Tim Walz did not choose a new Minnesota flag because it resembled the flag of Somalia. Walz wasn’t involved in the flag selection process, and any resemblance to the Somali flag is coincidental.
WHAT WE FOUND
Tim Walz was not involved in the selection of the design for the new Minnesota state flag. The State Emblems Redesign Commission was in charge of selecting the new flag.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, the Minnesota Historical Society Library reported. But while both flags feature a star and a similar light blue color, any resemblance is coincidental.
Walz’ involvement in the Minnesota flag change
In 2023, Walz signed a law that created the State Emblems Redesign Commission, which facilitated the Minnesota state flag replacement process. But that was the extent of his role in the process. He was not involved in the design of the flag nor did he participate in its final approval.
The State Emblems Redesign Commission began meeting in September 2023 to come up with a new flag for the state of Minnesota. The commission launched a flag design contest and received over 2,500 flag and seal design submissions from the public.
Ultimately, the commission voted to choose 24-year-old Minnesota resident Andrew Prekker’s flag design. Walz is not listed as a voting or non-voting member of the commission.
Similarities between Minnesota’s flag and Somalia’s flag are unintentional
The Minnesota flag design features references to the state and does not have any intentional connection to the flag of Somalia, according to Prekker.
“While I was visually inspired by the simplicity and popularity of state flags like New Mexico, Colorado, and Tennessee, all of my symbolic inspiration came from Minnesota itself with emphasis on embracing the history, significance, and uniqueness of our state while also finding the experiences that all Minnesotans share and connect with,” Prekker said in a Minnesota West Community & Technical College article.
The navy blue color featured on the flag is meant to represent Minnesotan identity and is similar to the “Minnesota Blue” as defined in the state government’s brand portal. The navy blue part of the flag is also meant to resemble an outline of Minnesota geographically. The light blue color in the flag signifies the importance of water to the state, Prekker explained.
The final Minnesota state flag also features a white eight-pointed star featured on the left side of the flag. The star is supposed to resemble a northern star as reference to Minnesota’s state motto, L'Etoile du Nord, which means “star of the north.”
The Somalia flag features one shade of blue with a white five-pointed star in the center. This “Star of Unity” represents the five main areas where Somali natives reside.
Prekker’s original flag submission faced criticism for perceived similarities to the Puntland region of Somalia’s flag. The original design contained a northern star to represent Minnesota’s state motto, rather than the eight-pointed star used in the final version, and white, green and light blue stripes. This design was updated, and in the final design, the green and white stripes were removed and the star was changed.
News outlets earlier this year debunked claims that either design mirrored the flags of Somalia or Puntland.
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