The black flag first entered the American imagination through artist Jasper Johns in the 1950s, who stripped away its colors to challenge viewers with stark ambiguity — patriotism, protest, or both. Decades later, it has been reclaimed by a new generation as a banner of defiance. Shared on streets and across social platforms, the black flag signals rejection of imposed systems and solidarity with those who refuse to yield. From canvas to culture, it endures as a mark of rebellion: uncompromising, ungoverned, and unbowed.