It'll be a banner day for Philly along the Parkway

Sheikh Khurshan, president of the Bangladesh Association of Greater Philadelphia, has always wanted to see his nation's flag waving on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

"It's a great thing for Bangladeshi people to see that," Khurshan said. "It gives us a sense that we belong here."

Because of space issues and financial hangups, the process of having his country's flag placed on the Parkway has been long and hard, but that wait will end this week.

In a ceremony Friday, the flags of 19 countries will be added to the already elaborate display of 90 flags lining the sides of the Parkway.

Rorng Sorn, executive director of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia, is overjoyed that her country's flag will be among them.

Sorn said members of her organization sent letters to city officials, attended meetings and even approached Mayor Nutter to express their desire to have the Cambodian flag added to those flying along the Parkway.

"It's been at least 10 years of advocating to have our flag on the Parkway," Sorn said. "Mayor Nutter promised us that our flag would go up and he kept his promise."

The flags represent countries that have significant or growing populations in Philadelphia. Countries were chosen after years of meetings between city representatives and community groups that expressed interest in having their countries represented on the Parkway. The city also considered census data.

Other countries that will have their flags raised are Angola, Belarus, Botswana, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Kitts & Nevis, Senegal, Tanzania, and Trinidad and Tobago.

A spokeswoman for the City Representative's Office, which is responsible for determining which flags are displayed, said the new flags won't take the place of any flags already hanging.

"It was definitely a priority for this administration to get the new flags up as soon as possible and to make sure the old flags remained," she said.

After Friday, there will be 109 flags along the Parkway. Flag poles in Logan Circle will accommodate the 19 new flags, and the order will be shifted alphabetically.

Sorn said the flag-raising is a huge milestone for immigrants living in Philadelphia.

"I'm really excited, not just for the Cambodian community but also for the other countries who will now be able to see their flags on the Parkway," Sorn said. "This is something that we can really be proud of."