Residents of Skokie now have the opportunity to change the design of the village’s flag. As per an announcement made on the suburb’s website on May 13, “community members of all ages” are encouraged to participate in a redesign of the village flag. Submissions end on September 30. Afterwards, the village will assign local artists to work with the five to seven potential flag designers whose flags would be chosen as “finalists.” Members of the community will also be able to provide feedback before a final option is chosen, and the flag is officially replaced.
“In 2022, the village and the Human Relations Commission initiated a comprehensive, year-long review to determine if [Native American imagery] was appropriate,” Skokie Director of Communication and Community Engagement Patrick Deignan said. “After looking at extensive research and having listening sessions with members of Native communities, the commission found that it was not appropriate for the village to use its previous field design. That kicked off the process to design a new village seal.”
This is nothing new to Skokie, as the village has redesigned much of its official promotional material in the past few years. It started with the Skokie logo, a new addition to the village’s engagement purposes, used for general community services and programs. Its new design, depicting the village hall’s cupola (dome), has only been in use since 2022. The village’s seal has also been redesigned, replacing an image that has been used since the 1940s. This new seal, depicting the “Skokie Spirit” flame surrounded by cattails in a stained glass-type style, replaced an old design on March 17. Now, for the same reasons as the village seal—depictions of a Native American/Indian head—the Skokie flag is considered due for a redesign.
The current village flag most prominently features an Indian/Native American person in a headdress, depicted in front of an arrowhead. It is these aspects of official promotional material that the village is avoiding. But this dissociation from Native American imagery isn’t necessarily a recent development, either. The Niles West Wolves, once known as the Niles West Indians, changed their mascot in 2001 to a less controversial figurehead.
Some Skokie residents share the village’s interest in replacing this stereotypical imagery, hoping to see new, more appropriate ways to represent the community. One of these residents is Kristy Pommerenke-Schneider, a Niles North parent and social studies teacher who has worked at North for over 30 years and lived in Skokie for over 20 years.
“The stereotyped image of the Native American A.K.A Indian shouldn’t be on the new flag,” Pommerenke-Schneider said. “You’ve got [these kinds of] stereotypes in [American] history that, clearly, are limited and offensive to many people. I would [like to see] something that represents the vision of our state, which is very diverse and multicultural, and home to many immigrant populations; something that is more inclusive to the people that live here, including Indigenous Americans…but not an Indian in a headdress.”
There’s no knowing what the potential designs for the future flag may be; within matters of taste, a new look can feature anything, and it’s all up to the community and its residents. Deignan himself said, “I would love to see a flag that represents both the geography of the village as well as…the community spirit and the culture of the village.” Every resident of Skokie has the opportunity to represent anything and everything they want. However, it’s only until the end of September that the village will know what’s next in store for appropriate community representation.
