Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is standing ten toes down on her belief that the citizens of the nation’s capital deserve to be recognized as a state. Several 51-star flags were hung along Pennsylvania Avenue on Monday (June 13), WUSA9 reports.

According to Mayor Bowser, the flags represent the inclusion of her city as one of the governing states in America. She also noted that “700,000 tax-paying American citizens” in the District deserve to be properly acknowledged.

“I directed our team to hang 51-star flags along Pennsylvania Avenue as a reminder to Congress and the nation that the 700,000 tax-paying American citizens living in Washington, D.C. demand to be recognized,” said Bowser in a statement. “On Flag Day, we celebrate American ideals, American history, and American liberty. But the very foundation of those ideals, and the basis for our liberty, is representation. DC’s disenfranchisement is a stain on American democracy – a 220-year-old wrong that demands to be righted. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, and now the U.S. Senate must do the same.”

In 1916, former President Woodrow Wilson, declared June 14 as Flag Day. By 1949, it became an official holiday through an Act of Congress.

As a Federal District, Washington, D.C. is under U.S government jurisdiction, thus operating as municipality.Because the city does not have the full authority to govern itself , Bowser says this impacts citizens nationwide, not just in the District.

“As Americans nationwide brace for a decision on the future of Roe v. Wade, we are also reminded that D.C.’s disenfranchisement impacts not just Americans living in D.C., but Americans nationwide who share our values,” she continued. “While the stakes are even higher for Washingtonians, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the majority of Americans who believe in a woman’s right to choose. We also stand shoulder to shoulder with the majority of Americans demanding common sense gun reforms, and with the majority of Americans who want to build a more inclusive democracy.”

Turning Washington, D.C. into a state has been a yearslong battle. According to Democratic lawmakers, residents in the District have unequal rights in comparison to those located in the 50 states.