'I Try' singer Macy Gray calls American flag 'divisive,' not representative of all

Grammy Award-winning singer Macy Gray wants a new American flag.

The "I Try" singer called the nation's flag "divisive" and not representative of all Americans in an op-ed published Thursday by MarketWatch -- the same day that President Joe Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

In her opinion, the American flag has become a replacement for the Confederate flag, citing the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

"The American flag has been hijacked as code for a specific belief," Gray wrote. "God bless those believers, they can have it. Like the Confederate, it is tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect. It no longer represents democracy and freedom. It no longer represents ALL of us. It's not fair to be forced to honor it. It's time for a new flag."

Gray took umbrage at the 50 stars representing each state, advocating for the long-sought statehoods of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

"Both have been denied, since statehood would allow each territory's elected officials seats in the house," Gray explained. "Assuming D.C. reps would be African-American and Puerto Rican reps would be Hispanic, the ultimate assumption is that these elected officials would be Democratic. That alone is racist."

Gray also took aim at the white stripes and suggested that they become off-white.

"What if the stars were the colors of ALL of us -- your skin tone and mine -- like the melanin scale?" she asked. "The blue square represents vigilance and perseverance; and the red stripes stand for valor. America is all of those things. So, what if those elements on the flag remained?"

She then suggested an alternative look for the U.S. flag.

Macy Gray

Gray's proposal has already been met with backlash by mostly Republican lawmakers, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who shared her thoughts on Twitter.