PITTSBURGH — It’s the great symbol of our country - the stars and stripes, representing the 13 colonies and all 50 states. Freedom and bravery are intertwined in the red, white and blue.
As we get ready to celebrate the 250th birthday of our nation, our country’s flag is embarking on a journey around the world.
The flag’s last stops will be in the Pittsburgh area to honor the people and places that helped build America. So you might be asking why Pittsburgh?
Bill Flanagan is a volunteer for The National Flag Foundation. He says from the first shots in the French and Indian War, to forging the steel that built our cities, and now, new innovations in energy and artificial intelligence, Pittsburgh is a place where American revolutions begin.
The National Flag Foundation is a non-partisan non-profit that educates the public about the U.S. flag and honors those who protect it.
Bill Flanagan and chair of the foundation Romel Nicholas have spent years planning two major events for the country’s 250th birthday — “The Sojourn 250″ and “Light to Unite.”
“This is an opportunity for us to showcase how there is common ground for Americans,” Nicholas tells Channel 11.
Sojourn 250 is a year-long journey our flag is currently taking all over the world, making symbolic stops.
“Every single American military cemetery from Normandy to Guam, all 50 U.S. States, all territories, but at the very end they’re bringing it home to PA,” Flanagan tells Channel 11.
In the days leading up to the semi-quincentennial, the flag’s final 13 stops, named for the 13 colonies, will be in our backyard.
The humble, 5x8 Old Glory will travel from the 911th Airlift Wing, to the U.S. Steelworkers’ Headquarters, before making its way to Fort Ligonier, Point State Park, the North Shore, Soldiers and Sailors and Mount Washington.
Then, on the eve of America’s birthday, the flag’s sojourn will continue at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, Flag Plaza, Freedom Corner, Bakery Square and the Carrie Blast Furnaces.
On the morning of July 4, the flag will start its day at dawn on Grant Street.
“At 6 a.m., a brigade of 250 motorcycle riders will escort that flag into Washington, D.C., where it will fly over the Capitol,” Nicholas said.
The night of the Fourth is “Light to Unite.” It’s when Pittsburgh will be the first city in the country to be illuminated in red, white, and blue. From buildings and bridges to small main streets and front porches, everyone is welcome to help our city shine.
“It’s an opportunity too for Pittsburghers to reflect and to decide ok - for at least one day, do I want to feel common ground and do I want to at least embrace national unity,” Nicholas said.
“I think that’s been the Pittsburgh way the past 80 years or so, to find ways to pass political and geographic lines,” Flanagan said. “Hopefully we can use Light to Unite and the flag’s sojourn as a way to bring people together to celebrate the 250th.”
To learn more about the National Flag Foundation, click here.
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