Between Flags and Freedom

The Juneteenth flag has replaced LGBTQ Pride flag at Peekskill Hall as of Thursday, June12.

Like many, I only recently learned the full story of Juneteenth—so seeing its flag replace the LGBTQ+ banner at City Hall caught me off guard, especially since it’s still Pride Month everywhere else.

Peekskill has a long, proud connection to Juneteenth. After the Paul Robeson riots of 1949, the city earned the ironic motto “Wake Up America, Peekskill Did.”

What’s less known is that Peekskill began honoring Juneteenth in 2011—years before it became a federal holiday—thanks to the research and passion of Smith Street resident Aishah Sales. Her thorough timeline lives on the city’s website, tracing how Peekskill has celebrated Black freedom and resilience long before national recognition.
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Here I stand, caught between two symbols of liberation. I’m proud to be an ally of both communities, but I felt torn the moment one flag came down. Maybe it’s what people with intersecting identities experience: you belong to many movements yet can feel displaced when they compete for visibility.

I respect and will continue to honor the Juneteenth flag. I’ll celebrate Pride wherever those flags fly—throughout Peekskill and in New York City, where they remain raised. To me, both banners honor struggles and triumphs: Pride for LGBTQ+ liberation, and Juneteenth for African American freedom.

The true tension isn’t in the cloth or pole, but in the emotions they carry.

​So why can’t we raise them together? Flying both flags side by side would affirm that solidarity isn’t a zero-sum game, and that our pursuit of equity grows stronger when our movements stand united.

The LGBTQ+ Pride banner and flag were displayed at City Hall in Peekskill a week ago.