Daily e-newsletter, Business Record | May 2021
Soon, residents may notice a new version of the flag of Des Moines popping up on front porches across the city: the Pride Flag of Des Moines, a vibrant, 11-color design created in collaboration with Capital City Pride, the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement (DSM BLM) and One Iowa.
“The first thing I thought when I saw the flag was ‘my two little boys are going to be so pumped,’” said Courtney Reyes, executive director of One Iowa. “When they see the pride flag, they know ... that means that their family is seen, and there’s so much power in that.”
The Pride Flag of Des Moines, designed by Mason Kessinger, overlays the traditional Des Moines flag’s white, three-bridge pattern over pride stripes from left to right, beginning with a brighter red than the tone that anchors the city flag. Black, brown, light blue, pink and light gray cap off the pattern to represent Black, brown and transgender intersectionality in the LGBTQ+ community.
Kessinger ultimately drafted 18 versions of the Pride Flag of Des Moines before the final design was announced jointly by Flag of Des Moines, Capital City Pride, DSM BLM and One Iowa on May 1. Available for pre-order through Flag of Des Moines, 15% of the Des Moines Pride Flag proceeds will go to benefit the three partnering organizations.
“People will decide what [the flag] means to them. For me, it means the potential for people to see the flag and recognize that people exist, and that space needs to be made for and carved out for them, and protected and consistently cared for in this city,” DSM BLM field operations officer Maté Muhammad said.