WASHINGTON, D.C. – 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.
Even before D.C. statehood, Norton has made considerable progress in achieving equal treatment for the D.C. flag. In 2020 the House Judiciary Committee passed Norton’s bill requiring the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff upon the death of a D.C. mayor. The National Park Service now flies the D.C. flag across from Union Station along with state flags. Norton was also successful in getting a provision enacted requiring the armed services to display the D.C. flag when state flags are displayed.
“Today, on Flag Day 2024, we are closer than ever to statehood,” Norton said. “Americans who reside in the nation’s capital celebrate Flag Day in part because we have achieved equal treatment and recognition of the D.C. flag in our country. State flags give recognition to the importance of the state itself in the Union. The D.C. flag demands no less.”
Norton said that the importance of respecting the D.C. flag at the same level as state flags is particularly tied to military service by D.C. residents who continue to fight and die for their country without voting representation in Congress. She pointed to the service of District residents in every war, including the Revolutionary War, which created the nation itself. More than 5,000 D.C. residents have suffered casualties in major wars since World War I. “Honoring the D.C. flag is an important way of honoring their sacrifices,” Norton added.
###
