APRIL 25, 2026 — The Village of Skokie, Illinois, has officially approved a new flag following a year-long redesign process, says the Chicago Tribune.
On April 20, the Village Board of Trustees unanimously voted to adopt the “Skokie Spirit” design, created by local graphic designer Buddy Boor.
This selection replaces a mid-20th-century design that featured a gold arrowhead and a profile of a Native American in a feathered bonnet, imagery that village officials and Indigenous representatives had previously identified as culturally disrespectful and historically inaccurate.
The new flag depicts a stylized orange and yellow flame set against a solid green field. The central flame motif functions as a tribute to the Potawatomi, the Algonquian-speaking people who are the earliest recorded inhabitants of the region. The flame references the Potawatomi’s traditional role within the Council of Three Fires as the “Keepers of the Fire.”
The yellow and orange of the flame are meant to evoke warmth, camaraderie, and civic energy, while the solid green field represents the land’s natural heritage of prairies, forests, and the current municipal park system. The green colour also provides a visual link to the village’s namesake, as “Skokie” is derived from the Potawatomi word wabskoki, meaning marsh or swamp.
To ensure the design remained simple enough for a child to draw from memory, the designer adapted the flame from a 1978 stained-glass installation at Village Hall, stripping away complex lines to create a minimalist icon.
The selection process was guided by the North American Vexillological Association principles of simplicity and meaningful symbolism. Boor’s design emerged from a pool of 79 public submissions, eventually winning a plurality of support in a community survey that garnered nearly 800 responses.
During the refinement phase, Boor noted that the design was significantly simplified from its original version to ensure it remained distinctive and easily recognizable, adhering to the professional standards of modern vexillology.
The Village of Skokie is expected to codify the new design through a formal ordinance in the coming weeks. This will initiate a phased rollout to replace the older flags currently flown at municipal buildings and featured on official materials.
Images: North Star News, Village of Skokie
