On National Acadian Day last year, Alexis Belliveau sought an Acadian flag emoji to accompany a social media post about his band but discovered it didn’t exist. Emojis, used to convey emotions and ideas in text messages, include numerous flags among their thousands of symbols.
Belliveau and his friend Julien Robichaud from Moncton, N.B., are preparing a proposal for a new Acadian flag emoji to be submitted to Unicode, a California-based non-profit organization that evaluates and approves emoji suggestions.
Expressing the significance of the Acadian flag, Belliveau emphasized the importance of having an emoji to represent this cultural symbol in the digital realm. He believes the emoji will not only allow for the expression of pride but also engage younger generations with Acadian heritage.
To support their initiative, Belliveau and Robichaud initiated an online campaign, detailing Acadian history, the flag’s meaning, and a petition with over 10,000 signatures on their website. Belliveau stressed the importance of community backing to strengthen their proposal’s credibility.
Despite the absence of an official Acadian flag emoji, people have creatively expressed Acadian pride using emoji sequences. Belliveau highlighted this practice, sharing examples like 🔵⭐⚪🔴 and 💙⭐🤍❤️.
Acknowledging Unicode’s criteria for emoji approval, Belliveau mentioned a potential workaround for their proposal, combining existing emojis like the star and the flag of France.
Considering Unicode’s guidelines for emoji approval, Belliveau is actively spreading awareness among Acadians worldwide and plans to formally submit the emoji proposal in the upcoming winter. He aims to reach out to Acadian communities in various regions globally to garner support for the cause.