Flag Day

By: Miriam Edelman

Flag Day (June 14th), which commemorates the day in 1777 when the United States approved the nation’s initial national flag’s design, has been tied to advocacy about statehood for the District of Columbia. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation creating Flag Day on June 14th.  In 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed Congressional legislation stating June 14th as Flag Day. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, many Americans display flags on June 14th.

The American flag currently includes 50 stars that represent each of the 50 states. As D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen said, “Flags are a symbol” and added “The fact that we don’t have representation, the whole flag is a perfect symbol of that frustration, of that anger, of that disappointment, of that wrong.”

In 2015, local D.C. stakeholders posted on social media, connecting D.C. statehood and Flag Day to each other. On June 11th D.C. Councilmember Anita Bonds posted: “Retweet if you believe that the residents of America's capital should have full voting rights #DCStatehood #DCFlagDay.” Along with that text is a photo of Anita Bonds holding an American flag and a D.C. flag and standing behind many flags of other countries. She has her mouth taped shut. “Why don’t the residents of America’s capital have full voting rights?” is at the top of the image. On June 12th, DC Vote posted a photo of a D.C. flag and people wearing t-shirts with D.C. flags on them along with: “We've got to work together if we ever hope to achieve #DCEquality and #DCStatehood. #DCFlagDay.”

Flag Day (2024)

On June 14, 2024, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s (D-DC) office issued a press release, entitled “To Mark Flag Day, Norton Celebrates Respect for D.C. Flag, Achieved Even Before Statehood.” The release began with:

“In recognition of Flag Day today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated progress made in gaining the same respect for the District of Columbia flag that state flags receive. The House has previously passed her D.C. statehood bill twice, the Senate has held a hearing on the bill, and President Biden supports it.”

The release quoted Norton: "Today, on Flag Day 2024, we are closer than ever to statehood.”

During the late afternoon and evening of June 14th, the DC Democratic Party hosted a DC Statehood: Training, Turnout & Treats event. Part of that event’s description was:

“Join us this Friday June 14th at City-State Brewing for a casual and family-friendly Statehood meetup. If you're new to DC and curious to learn more about Statehood, bring your questions! If you're focused on 2024 elections but want to know their stance on Statehood, we can help! If you want to support Statehood but aren't sure how - and don't have much time - we have lots of options!”

“We will be joined by our co-hosts the DC Young Dems, the League of Women Voters DC, the mastermind behind the Statehood Pledge + Statehood Compact + (new!) Statehood Scorecard, and others active in the Statehood movement.”

The event featured a flag-related competition.

Final Thoughts

Let’s truly correct past and current wrongs by making D.C. the nation’s 51st state. On future Flag Days, the U.S. flag would have 51 stars, representing the current 50 states plus the new D.C. state, Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. D.C. is ready, as 51-star flags already exist. As Norton said, “Simply adding a star will not have a cosmic change on the flag.”