There is a new flag flying outside Barrington Town Hall in recognition of Black History Month. 

The flag, made by Barrington Town Council member Jacob Brier, shares the message “Barrington Believes Black Lives Matter.” That is a shift from the “Black Lives Matter” flag that the town flew last year.

“The flag that is flying isn't tied to any organization and isn't making any political statements,” said Mr. Brier. “It is expressly a statement of the town's values.”

Mr. Brier said he had a handful of the flags made up about six months ago and asked some people from town what they thought about the new design.

“When I asked folks later, all shared the view that it was a better option than the more generic versions,” he said. “I offered to give one to the town if (Barrington Town Manager) Phil (Hervey) thought it was an appropriate flag to fly, in terms of both: its message, and its alignment with the prior vote of the council. I'm glad he accepted the offer and chose to fly this one. It further separates the town's display of a positive, unifying value statement from a message that can be confused with an organization some consider divisive.”

Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll said the town manager asked him what he thought about flag designed by Mr. Brier. 

“I ran it by Braxton Medlin, chair of our DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) Committee,” Mr. Carroll said. “I agree with Braxton, this is a good flag that ought to at least reduce controversy. We were never endorsing a national organization (we flew a flag that was different from that organization’s).

“For us, it was always a statement of our community’s belief that black lives matter. Now we say so explicitly. Some just don’t want to fly any flags other than the American and POW/MIA flags, and I respect that view. But for those who’ve supported the autism or breast cancer awareness flags, I’m sure they’ll agree with this statement.”

Some residents opposed the flying of the previous Black Lives Matter flag. In a letter to the editor last week, Paul Dulchinos, president of the group Barrington United Veterans Coalition, referenced the town’s prior decision to fly the BLM flag.

“The national organization affiliated with this branded slogan and banner does not honor the African American nor the Barrington communities and has no place under the American flag over a veterans' memorial,” Mr. Dulchinos wrote. “Instead it promotes anti-nuclear family values, critical race theory views and neo-Marxist objectives.”

Mr. Dulchinos and other members of Barrington United Veterans Coalition stated that it has been their position that only official government flags should be flown under the U.S. flag on the same pole. 

“However, if the town council wishes to continue to use the US flag pole as a location to present ‘Free Speech in the Public Forum,’ then they must allow all banners to be flown on that same pole,” he wrote.

Mr. Dulchinos and the Barrington United Veterans Coalition offered a different banner to recognize Black History Month — theirs states “Every Black Life Matters.”

“…it includes the ‘Thin Lines’ representing the sacrifices of all Black service members, law enforcement officers and first responders,” he wrote.