The Juneteenth flag is full of symbols. This is what they mean

What is celebrated on Juneteenth?

Here we explain it 1:33

(CNN) --

You may see another red, white and blue flag flying this weekend over state capitols and city buildings.

That banner with an exploding star in the middle is the Juneteenth flag, a symbolic representation of the end of slavery in the United States.

The flag is the brainchild of activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF).

Haith created the flag in 1997 with the help of collaborators, and Boston-based illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf brought his vision to life.

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The flag was modified in 2000 to the version we know today, according to the National Juneteenth Observation Foundation.

Seven years later, the date "June 19, 1865" was added, commemorating the day Union Army Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told enslaved African Americans about his emancipation.

For two decades, communities across the country have held flag-raising ceremonies on June 19 to celebrate their freedom.

"This country has so many aspects that are spiritual, and I think this flag is of that nature," Haith said.

"(The idea for the design) just came through me."

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The design of the flag and its symbols was a deliberate process, Haith said.

This is what each element of the flag represents.

The star

The white star in the center of the flag has a double meaning, Haith said.

On the one hand, it represents Texas, the Lone Star State.

It was in Galveston in 1865 that Union soldiers informed the last remaining slaves in the country that, under the Emancipation Proclamation issued two years earlier, they were free.

But the star also goes beyond Texas and represents the freedom of African Americans in all 50 states.

The outbreak

The outline around the star is inspired by a nova, a term astronomers use to refer to a new star.

On the Juneteenth flag, this represents a new beginning for African Americans in Galveston and across the country.

The arc

The curve that stretches across the width of the flag represents a new horizon: the opportunities and promises that lie ahead for African Americans.

The colors

The red, white and blue represent the American flag, a reminder that the slaves and their descendants were and are Americans.

June 19, 1865 represents the day enslaved black people in Galveston, Texas became Americans under the law.

And while African Americans today still fight for equality and justice, Haith said those colors symbolize the continued commitment of people in America to be better and live up to the American ideal of freedom and justice for all.

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