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If the state of Illinois raises a newly designed flag in the year 2025, the decision and design concept will be a product of the work of the Illinois Flag Commission, which has Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Tandra Taylor, PhD, as one its 22 appointed members. 

Taylor is an assistant professor in the Department of History and SIUE’s interim director of the Institute for Community Justice and Racial Equity (ICJRE) at the Southwestern Illinois Justice and Workforce Development Center in Belleville. Her appointment to the IL Flag Commission by Senator Don Harmon, IL State Senate President, is a result of legislation passed in August 2023 by Governor J. B. Pritzker, whom Taylor calls “forward-thinking.”  
 
“States are looking at their identity to see if we’ve shown progress,” said Taylor. “The Illinois state flag has not really changed in 100 years. Yet so many things have changed about our state’s identity and values.” 

On August 7, Pritzker signed SB 1818 establishing the Illinois Flag Commission to explore the creation of a new state flag and develop new state flag designs. The bill received bipartisan support.  
 
Members of the commission are designees of the Governor, IL Secretary of State, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the IL Senate President, both Minority Leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, the State Superintendent of Education and the Chairperson of the Board of the Illinois State Museum. 
 
Taylor, a native of East St. Louis, is looking forward to taking on this role for her state. “I am very excited for this opportunity to continue my service to the state of IL and to work on a project that pulls into play my love for public humanities and history.” 
 
The IL state seal originated in 1788 during the state’s formation as part of the Northwest Territory. Illinois became an official state in 1818.  
  
“The seal is older than the flag,” said Taylor, who notes the adoption of the seal for the second time was in 1868, shortly after the Civil War. “Yes we are the state of Illinois but we are also not a rogue state. We did not secede. We also believe in a strong union.  The actual state flag was adopted in 1915.” 
 
The IL state flag—with the seal—remained unchanged until 1969 when the name Illinois was added.   
 
“This appointment kind of ties into my background in American Studies and research that I did earlier in my career,” said Taylor. “By training I am a historian. Period. I am most into historical events from the 1880s to 1920, the progressive era when most states in this country got their state flag.” 
 
Taylor notes that during the years that hold her focus as a historian, a number of World’s Fairs exhibitions occurred where participating countries hoisted their flags for display. The states joined in with their own flags to demonstrate “a unification of the country and how states progressed during the last 50 years. How was their identity displayed in this commemorative season?” 
 
“I’m always thinking about symbols, and signs and what makes American culture American culture.”  

The Illinois Flag Commission has until September 2024 to select no more than ten potential flag designs. They will then submit a report to the General Assembly by December 2024. 

PHOTO: Tandra Taylor, assistant professor in the Department of History and SIUE’s interim director of the Institute for Community Justice and Racial Equity (ICJRE) at the Southwestern Illinois Justice and Workforce Development Center in Belleville