Democrat legislators in Washington state have mounted a movement to remove George Washington’s face from the state flag.
The image of George Washington on the state flag comes from the state seal, designed in 1889 when the Evergreen State achieved statehood. Washington state law declares, “The official flag of the state of Washington shall be of dark green silk or bunting and shall bear in its center a reproduction of the seal of the state of Washington embroidered, printed, painted or stamped thereon.” The flag was officially adopted on March 5, 1923.
Washington state was named after George Washington and is the only state named after a president.
State Reps. Strom Peterson, Julia Reed, and Greg Nance introduced House Bill 1938, which states, “While George Washington is an important national figure, he has limited historical connection to the state itself. This makes his image less meaningful as a symbol for the state.”
“If House Bill 1938 is enacted, the Washington State Flag Redesign Committee will work toward adopting a new design by July 1, 2028. The proposed design will then be submitted to voters for approval in a general election, ensuring that any change to the state flag reflects the will of Washington’s citizens,” My Northwest reported.
A Washington blogger who is supposed to testify in favor of changing the flag authored a blog titled, “The Washington State flag is deeply and historically bad and we should change it.” “Washington’s flag is uninspired. It was not the result of a broad public process but rather something we arrived at late, 34 years after statehood,” he wrote. “While the name honors a national figure, its origins reflect a moment when the voices of the people living in the region were overlooked. I’m not saying we need to go as far as changing the state’s name (that would be crazy! looks around), but we don’t need to underline it with a state flag.”
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