Creation of a Logo

As I sit here this Father’s Day and Juneteenth Day, I contemplate one of the organizations that provided key sponsorship for the Juneteenth celebration here in San Jose, the African-American Community Service Agency, an organization that I founded.

It was sometime in 1968 that I had the original idea was thought of establishing a community organization. I wanted that organization to have a logo and seal stamp that could be used for name recognition. The finished product was completed in 1977. The idea for the logo design was based on my recent retirement from the military service in (1967) and the many crests I earned over my twenty-two year military career. The shield was my symbol of protection and a reminder of the crests worn on the uniform of various army units. What was placed on the shield would represent the thoughts and feeling of the community during the 1960s and 1970s.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, students at San Jose State University, won gold and bronze medals in the 1968 Olympia in Mexico City. By their actions on the Olympic podium, they spurred creative thoughts and actions throughout the San Jose African American community and the world. The clenched fist became an instantly recognizable symbol. To me, the fist was a protest item for the top of the shield because the City of San Jose and the county of Santa Clara had omitted more than two hundred years of African American contributions during their Bicentennial Celebration. The fist represented a decade, (1968-1977) of civil rights protest in my community. Details of this omission are detailed in my book, Plantation Life on Old River and Beyond on page 133. 

I also wanted to address something representing the African Americans in my community and the world.  The colors of the continent of Africa (red, black and green) best expressed my connection to the motherland as an African American and were chosen as the colors for the logo.

The final element was to sum up the unity with the logo statement, “Strength in Unity.” The motto brings together the entire idea and I thought that my work was complete until I submitted my prize work to my son, a twenty year old San Jose State University Engineering student, Henry Gage, Jr., for his input. The next morning he returned the work to me and with the fist changed to a torch held by one hand. He told me that the torch with flame represented peace and hope for equality, a palatable wish for the world. He thought the fist would be interpreted as a militant statement and I agreed. In 1977, the finished product was placed in two envelopes (a poor man’s proof of ownership and copyright) and mailed to myself containing a San Jose Post Office date stamp.