FlagSSS Day

The FlagSSS Day Collective formed in 2018 after the National Flag Day celebration ceased in Troy, NY, where the core organizers live. National Flag Day, though founded much earlier, gained traction in the 1960s as a patriotic and anti-dissent holiday, reacting against the anti-Vietnam War protests at the time. We recognize that many in Troy enjoyed the parade and for some it didn’t necessarily connect to that history. However, this kind of war-mongering propaganda and action has left a traumatic residue. The FlagSSS Day Collective seeks to engage our city in celebrations of multiplicity against this history. With respect to long traditions of intertwining celebration and challenge, protest with party, and dissent with a dedication to joy, the Collective is nimble, flexible, and ever-changing, organizing joyous gatherings that move through the streets of Troy. The processions include participants of all ages (some in costume), colorful flags and banners (some bearing messages and images related to our core concerns and dedication to anti-imperialism and human centrism), and music.

The first FlagSSS Day took place in June 2019 and around thirty people joined. In 2020 we organized an impromptu procession on Election Day. In 2022 we hosted our second FlagSSS Day procession in June and our turnout more than doubled from 2019. In late 2022 we organized As the Crow Flies, a parade in solidarity with the crow population of Troy (who the city government and feds were trying to disperse) and highlighting human and more-than-human comradery in general. In June 2023, we hosted our largest FlagSSS Day procession yet with support from a grant from the Statewide Community Regrants Program* and featuring commissioned banners and flags. We also host community flag-making workshops, providing time, space, materials, and solidarity for people of all ages to envision and create their own flags and banners. 

*In 2023 this project was funded by the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by The Arts Center of the Capital Region.

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