Jones publishes Flag of the Free
Poet involved
What happened
In 1917, Jones published Flag of the Free through the Lincoln Art Publishing Company. The poem was dedicated in connection with San Francisco mayor James Rolph Jr. and Company A of the Ninth California Colored Volunteers. It centred patriotic symbolism on Black military service.
Literary impact
Flag of the Free extended Jones's public poetry into patriotic and racial memory. By invoking Black sacrifice under the national flag, he turned conventional patriotic verse into a claim for recognition, liberty, and historical justice.
Source: Project Gutenberg
