2021 VICTORY PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UTAH HAS A NEW COMMEMORATIVE FLAG

March 5, 2021
Salt Lake City, Utah -

Utah has a new flag - a commemorative flag that is. The Organization for a New Utah Flag (www.newutahflag.org) has declared victory after SB48 passed the Utah House and Concurrence in the Senate, making their design for Utah’s 125th anniversary commemorative flag official.

“When we began this movement in 2017, we knew it was a cause worth fighting for,” said the Organization’s Chair, Richard Martin. “To see so many supporters rally around our design and for it to now become a reality is gratifying beyond words. We can’t wait to see Utahn’s celebrating their great state and its history by proudly flying it high throughout our 125th anniversary of 2021.”

Jonathan Martin, the flag’s designer, said, “We want to thank everyone today who championed this cause. To Sen. McCay and Rep. Handy, who put together a spectacular bill, we are more than grateful and indebted to. To Rep. Stratton, whom we began this journey with and who actually first suggested the idea for a commemorative flag, we also show our immense appreciation. A special thank you is also owed to Sen. Bramble for his belief in the cause and his hearty support.”

"Further, we want to thank our "Betsy Ross's," Nancy Cannon and Carla Summers, who created our first physical prototypes of the flag. To Cambria Evans Christensen for her significant contributions with the very first designs in this process back in 2017, and to Nathan Hubert for his management of our social media campaigns, which helped further the support behind our cause."

Martin continues, “Finally, a major thank you of gratitude and appreciation to all of our supporters who rallied behind the cause. This isn’t just a win for all of them, but for our great State of Utah and its special history this flag celebrates as well.”

The commemorative flag has seven points of symbolism within the design: A gold beehive, representing Utah as the Beehive State and the state’s motto of “Industry.” A white star below the beehive represents Utah’s statehood and joining of the Union in 1896. The triangular saltire symbolizes Utah’s moniker as the “Crossroads of the West” and the joining of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Point.

The five sections of the flag (North, South, East, West and Center) represents the five native tribes of Utah; the Ute, Paiute, Navajo, Shoshone and Goshute peoples.

The blue, known as “Liberty Blue,” symbolizes Utah’s tradition and the Great Salt Lake. The white, known as “Mountain White,” represents the snow capped Rocky Mountains and the “Greatest Snow on Earth.” Finally, the red, known as “Utah Red,” represents the world famous red rocks and national parks of Southern Utah.

The Organization and movement was founded by Richard Martin, who was a gubernatorial candidate for Utah in 2010. The flag was designed by his son, Jonathan Martin, an award winning filmmaker and festival director of Utah’s three-time Best of State award winning film festival, FilmQuest.

Flags are available for purchase at www.newutahflag.org, where you can also learn more about Utah’s new commemorative flag. Those interested can also follow the Organization for updates on their Instagram and Twitter pages @newutahflag.

A PDF Document is available via this clickthrough hyperlink.