This November, when voting in the city of Cleveland, John Carroll University students might notice a small ballot initiative with big consequences: an initiative to change the Cleveland flag. Though some may gawk at this elected edit to Cleveland’s image, it is a serious issue that can create a new wealth of civic pride in Cleveland.

People like to think that they know a lot about their city, but few might know about their city’s official coat of arms: their flag. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the city of Cleveland. As many residents know, Cleveland boasts a rich history and vibrant culture spanning decades back. The first Cleveland flag was adopted in 1895 following a flag-designing contest held by, The Plain Dealer, a Cleveland icon. The winning submission was created by 18-year-old Susan Hepburn.

The flag is relatively simple, boasting patriotic colors of red, white and blue, along with a shield bearing an anvil, hammer and wheel, representing its booming steel-working industry. The flag also bears an anchor, representing the hallowed Cuyahoga River, the city’s life-blood. At the time, the flag truly did represent the city and the civic pride that its people had in it.

One citizen, Brian Lachman, a businessman from Cleveland Heights, when attending a Restaurant Association showcase in Chicago, realized besides the Chicago dog, the Cubs or the Bulls, the Windy City had one other unifying factor missing in Cleveland – a flag. “On shirts, cups, beers, you could find them” Lachman said when discussing the Chicago flag, “and that was missing here in Cleveland.” So, in a matter of months, Lachman, along with others, such as co-founder of the CLE Flag Project Josh Harkleroad, established the project’s website and Instagram page, which have been active since January of this year.

Submissions were open until July, their first major in-person event was the June 15 open house at Southern Tier Brewing, just outside of the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse downtown.

Recently, the CLE Flag Project had a booth at OneWorld Cleveland, a celebration of community diversity and peace at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. There, while Cleveland natives and visitors were able to view the dozens of national flags in the garden, they could learn about the project proposing a new one downtown.

Though in-person events like OneWorld this last weekend make up a large portion of public engagement, their online presence is even greater. With almost 800 followers, and promotions from online personalities like Clevelander @siryacht whose page has garnered thousands of views, likes, and comments. On the radio, They’ve publicized themselves on 92.8 The Fan, and have even been featured on News 5 Cleveland and Cleveland Fox 8 News over the summer

Through the rousing success of the submission phase, CLE Flag brought in a multitude of submissions from artists, designers and community members, just like back in 1895. Next, through the input of expert designers, local leaders and community representatives, the submissions were whittled down to just three new flag designs. The three flags, each with its own unique identity and symbolism, ranged from its rust-belt heritage to the winding Cuyahoga River and even to Rock and Roll. The first flag option focuses on the city’s history, in terms of both social progress and rust-belt pride, depicting a large letter C with an open swallowtail-shaped section representing the city’s progress and hope for the future.

The second flag option portrays a more stylized flag, with cool colors of forest green and wavy blue line representing the Cuyahoga River, nicknamed by Native American tribes as the “Crooked River”. Flanking both sides of the strip is a set of six stars, giving homage to Cleveland’s name as “The Sixth City” as well as a cheeky nod to the six tuning pegs on a Rock and Roll guitar.

The third new flag finalist takes a more geographical approach to representing the city. It depicts the navy blue of Lake Erie with the vibrant green of Cleveland’s Metroparks. However, the CLE Flag project is also leaving a fourth option open, the current flag, leaving the decision in the hands of the people whether they want a new flag at all.

With the possibility of a new flag on the horizon, community engagement is what fuels the push for a new beginning in civic pride for the city of Cleveland. When speaking on what the average resident can do to help, Lachman stated with enthusiasm, “First and foremost, vote!” Along with direct involvement in the movement, donations and spreading the word about upcoming events are some of the ways that anyone can partake in a historic movement for a new Cleveland Flag. Using the same grassroots origins of the original flag, CLE Flag is hoping to revitalize city pride in a way that every single person can have an impact.