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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-74
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 2, 2015
To declare June 14, 2015, as “District of Columbia Flag Day” in the District of Columbia, to reflect on the continuing disenfranchisement of the District and its residents and rally around the symbol of our right to have full and equal participation as the 51st state in the union.
WHEREAS, on June 14 of each year, the United States honors the adoption of the national flag by celebrating Flag Day;
WHEREAS, Flag Day is a day to celebrate the birthday of the American flag, and to carry the message and history of the flag of the United States to its citizens and residents;
WHEREAS, the U.S. Flag does not have a star for the District of Columbia nor its people;
WHEREAS, the people of the District of Columbia deserve both a star on the flag and full and equal inclusion in American democracy;
WHEREAS, each state has its own flag to be commemorated and celebrated as parts of the whole that make up the great United States of America;
WHEREAS, Charles A.R. Dunn in 1921 sketched a District of Columbia flag design, drawn from the coat of arms of George Washington, with “three red stars above the two red stripes on a white field”;
WHEREAS, the Flag Commission and the Fine Arts Commission in 1938 chose Mr. Dunn’s design out of a number of submissions of flag designs;
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia’s flag was rated as America’s Best Flag in 2004 by the North American Vexillological Association, yet this designation belongs to a jurisdiction that is still denied voting representation in Congress;
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia continues to suffer from Congress’s colonial rule over the District, with its 659,000 residents denied autonomy, self-governance, and statehood;
WHEREAS, residents of the District of Columbia pay more than $24 billion dollars annually in federal taxes, which is more than the residents in 21 states, and finally seek an end to the last vestige of taxation without representation on American soil;
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia has all the attributes and characteristics of a state, yet still struggles to free itself from congressional interference in local law and spending;
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia has developed and fostered a rich culture and history since its founding in 1790, and the flag is a representation of the District and its people; and
WHEREAS, District of Columbia Flag Day is a day to reflect on the continuing disenfranchisement of the District and its residents, while rallying around the effort to make the District the 51st state in the union and finally securing a star on the American flag and thus helping to fulfill the promise of the Constitution by creating a more perfect union.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council declares June 14, 2015, as “District of Columbia Flag Day” in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “District of Columbia Flag Day Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of the publication in the District of Columbia Register.
