Flag Anatomy
black
Black is for resilience. Black is the best color to represent our strength, grit, attitude, resourcefulness, and our ability to bounce back.
white
White is for righteousness. We always strive to end corruption of any kind in all areas of our civic life.
blue
Blue is for progression. With our city’s cool and cold climate, formidable blue-collar culture, and forward-thinking mentality, blue fits us freshly well.
the industrial star
The star itself symbolizes Detroit, geographically, indicating its location in relation to the river.
Its 5 points represent our most successful industries from past, present, and future: the auto industry, music, art and design, life science, and high technology.
the rise
The curved form literally symbolizes Detroit and its motto. “Detroit” comes from the French, Détroit (/deh-twah/), meaning “the strait.” The strait is the Detroit River; the river looks like an ascending pathway.
Father Gabriel Richard penned the city’s motto after the fire of 1805, saying, “We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes."
historical significance
Detroit owes its origins to the Native Americans and early French settlers who identified and established the city on the river. From being a major hub for fur trading and a checkpoint in the Underground Railroad for slaves to cross into freedom in Canada to being a critical region for industrial and international advancements, the past, present, and now future growth of Detroit derives and continues from this core—The Strait.
the banner of the strait
Accurately capturing the history, identity, and spirit of Detroit and because we are actually living up to our motto, the Detroit Rise truly represents our rising from struggles we endure and a path toward the better things we hope for and will attain.