For the first time in over a century, Syracuse has a new official flag flying in front of city hall.
The “First Light” flag was designed by Eric Hart, whose winning entry beat out hundreds of submissions. At Wednesday's flag-raising ceremony, Hart, an eighth-generation Syracusan, read the credo he wrote that he says served as inspiration for his design:
"Dawn’s first light pours over Syracuse, reflecting the hills and valley of Onondaga onto its gleaming lake.
Syracuse: 'Where the vale of Onondaga meets the Eastern sky.'
We look toward the sun and offer appreciation to the Keepers of the Central Fire and the Six Nations, here since time immemorial.
We salute the sun’s strength and are grateful that it could pull salt from our springs. We feel the sun’s warmth and are filled with resolve to weather our long, white winters. We trace the sun’s arc across the sky and choose for ourselves a new, radiant path. Hearts energized, bodies warmed, minds steeled.
We propel ourselves together, ever upward, Syracusans."
Each element of the flag has a connection to Syracuse. Hart said the blue triangles represent the Onondaga hills and lake, and the six-pointed orange star symbolizes the six Haudenosaunee nations and the city’s six historical names. The white background represents the salt and snow associated with Syracuse.
There’s no copyright on the flag design, and that way all residents can take ownership of the flag, says Andrew Fraiser of Adapt CNY, the nonprofit that helped organize and launch the new flag initiative.
“We’ve seen this in other communities and it’s something we thought was really important," said Fraiser, who pointed to Tulsa. In the Oklahoma city "a brewery ended up putting it on their beer cans and distributing that. So basically, anyone can use it in any way they like. They can remix it, which is Eric's [Hart's] word, which I like to use a lot."
City leaders say the new flag is intended to inspire unity and civic pride among Syracusans.
