On the reason why she wants to revamp the American flag, the 'I Try' hitmaker reveals that it was the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol following the election of Joe Biden.
- Jun 23, 2021
AceShowbiz - Macy Gray insists that the U.S. flag should be revamped. Doubling down on her criticism of the current flag, the "I Try" hitmaker argued that a change is needed because it has been "violated and weaponized."
The 53-year-old musician offered her two cents when speaking to TMZ on Tuesday, June 22. On the main reason why she wants a change in the flag, she said it was the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol following the election of Joe Biden.
"I feel like the flag has been violated and weaponized," the singer pointed out. "We all saw a man being [beaten] with a flag pole and we saw the insurrectionists storm the capital and use the American flag as their badge and symbol."
"I think that the messaging from the flag has now changed. A lot of people feel very different about it," the Grammy winner continued. "When I see people with a flag... one of the first things I think of is that 'oh that's a weapon' or 'oh that's a symbol of hate.' "
Asked why it is the right time for an overhaul, Macy explained, "The flag's been redesigned 26 times, we've had 26 flags, so this wouldn't be the first flag change." She further elaborated, "The flag during the Civil War was completely different … we didn't have 50 states and the flag has historically changed as the times have changed."
"I've never seen the world flip bigger than it did over the last two years," she noted. "I think... What the flag represents at this point is confusing. I think it's confusing to us, it's confusing to other countries. It's weird to honor it or to salute to it because you don't know what it stands for anymore."
Macy claimed "a lot of people are having problems with the stars," that's why she suggested that the color should be changed to various tones on "the melanin scale" to reflect the population of the country. She then added, "It sends a message that we're all included. I just want to bring everybody together. I'm asking the government to – for once – let everybody know that we're all in this together."
Macy first voiced her opinion about redesigning the U.S. flag in an op-ed published on Market Watch on June 17. "[It] has been hijacked as code for a specific belief," she penned. "God bless those believers, they can have it. Like the Confederate, it is tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect. It no longer represents democracy and freedom."
"It no longer represents ALL of us," she went on stressing. "It's not fair to be forced to honor it. It's time for a new flag.... Let's look to the stars. There are 50, where there should be 52. D.C. and Puerto Rico have been lobbying for statehood for decades. Both have been denied, since statehood would allow each territory's elected officials seats in the house."
