The Cook County Board of Commissioners accepted on Mar. 17 the top six student-finalist flag designs as part of its ongoing effort to select a new flag for the county. The finalists were chosen from nearly 300 submissions in a competition that began with high school students across Cook County.
The redesign is intended to create a modern and inclusive symbol that reflects the diversity, landscape, institutions, and history of Cook County. The current flag, created in 1961, has been criticized for not representing important aspects such as the county’s diverse residents and natural resources.
The six finalist designs are titled Freedom by Jaime Joshua Fregoso, Harmony by Alex Tomy, I Will Banner by Andrew Duffy, New Century Flag by Tim Mellman, Our Star by Sofia Hogue and Ryan Bradley, and Strides for Cook County by Charlye Hunt and Rayn White. President Toni Preckwinkle said, “As we approach Cook County’s bicentennial, we look forward to presenting a flag that will represent the County for the next 200 years. Our gratitude goes to the Cook County youth that put their minds and hearts into their designs. Their work will serve generations of Cook County residents to come.”
Flag Advisory Panel Co-Chair and Commissioner Scott Britton said, “The best flags are symbols of the values and spirit of everyone in that community. I thank the student designers, professional mentors, and Flag Advisory Panel members for their time, expertise, and passion for Cook County. It has been an honor to usher in this new era of representation for Cook County that engaged every corner of the County.”
According to Matthew DeLeon, Cook County Historian and Flag Panel Co-Chair: “Cook County’s high school students answered our challenge to design a flag for the 21st Century that connects our past and present together. The unique role Cook County played in the growth and development of the region, the state, and the nation is a story that should be told, and I am confident the Cook County Board will select a flag which will help to do just that.”
Lisa Lee, Flag Advisory Panel member and Director of the National Public Housing Museum & Associate Professor at University of Illinois at Chicago said: “It was such an honor to work with civically engaged youth in this radically generous and inclusive process. The brilliant flags they created through their collaborative efforts honor the past, recognize the present, and help us reimagine our collective futures.”
The selection process included pairing semi-finalists with professional designer mentors who helped refine their concepts before final scoring by an appointed panel using criteria based on composition and representation. Commissioners are expected to discuss these designs further during an upcoming Legislative Committee hearing.
