CHICAGO — Cook County’s officials picked a new design for its flag, opting for one that pays tribute to the area’s waterways and social justice policies.
The flag was designed by Andrew Duffy, a student at suburban Glenbrook South High School, as part of a competition among Cook County residents, according to a county news release. The county’s commissioners then met Tuesday — which was Flag Day — to decide which design to pick.
Duffy’s winning design features six red stars and a sideways “Y” in green and blue on a white background.
The stars have seven points to represent the regions of the county, the city of Chicago and the forest preserves, and they are in red to signal social change. The “Y” in green and blue represents Cook County’s waterways, lands and riverbanks. The white background is a “blank canvas … for the innovation to come,” according to the county.
The six stars represent “foundational moments” for Cook County:
- The founding of Cook County in 1831.
- The founding of Cook County Health hospitals Stroger and Provident in 1832 and 1891.
- The founding of the Cook County Department of Public Health.
- The founding of the Forest Preserves in 1914.
- The founding of the Arthur J. Audy Home in 1899.
- A tribute to local governments that form the county.
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