Mississippi lawmakers vote to remove Confederate emblem from state flag
Mississippi legislators have voted to replace the state flag, the last in the nation to feature the Confederate battle emblem, which has been condemned as racist.
The state House and the Senate voted to remove the current flag on Sunday and create a commission that will design a new flag that cannot include the Confederate symbol and that must have the words “In God We Trust”. Mississippi governor Tate Reeves has signalled he will sign the measure in the coming days.
The flag’s supporters have resisted efforts to change it for decades, but rapid developments in recent weeks have changed dynamics on this issue in the state, which has a long history of systemic racism and saw more lynchings of African Americans than any other state in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As protests against racial injustice recently spread across the US, including Mississippi, leaders from business, religion, education and sports have spoken forcefully against the state flag. They have urged legislators to ditch the 126year-old banner for one that better reflects the diversity of a state with a 38% Black population.
The state House and Senate met Saturday and took a big step: by twothirds margins, they suspended legislative deadlines so a flag bill could be filed. Spectators cheered as each chamber voted, and legislators seeking the change embraced each other.
“There are economic issues. There are issues involving football or whatever,” said Delbert Hosemann, Republican lieutenant governor, on Saturday. “But this vote came from the heart.
That makes it so much more important.”
David Jordan, a Democratic senator who is African American, has pushed for decades to change the flag. He smiled broadly after Saturday’s vote and said, “This is such a metamorphosis.”
On Sunday, the House passed the bill to change the flag with a vote of 91-23. The Senate followed that vote by approving the bill 37-14. The bill stipulates the current flag must be removed within 15 days of the vote.
Mississippi has the last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. The flag has been divisive for generations. All of the state’s public universities have stopped flying it, as have a growing number of cities and counties.
White supremacists in the Mississippi legislature set the state flag design in 1894 during backlash to the political power that African Americans gained after the civil war.
In 2000, the Mississippi supreme court ruled that the flag lacked official status. State laws were updated in 1906, and portions dealing with the flag were not carried forward. Legislators set a flag election in 2001, and voters kept the rebel-themed design.
Former Ole Miss basketball player Blake Hinson told his hometown Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal that the Mississippi flag played a part in his decision to transfer to Iowa State.
“It was time to go and leave Ole Miss,” Hinson said. “I’m proud not to represent that flag anymore and to not be associated with anything representing the Confederacy.”
Reeves said Saturday for the first time that he would sign a bill to change the flag if the Republican-controlled legislature sends him one.
Reeves and many other politicians have said people should get to vote on a flag design in another statewide election. The new design – without the Confederate symbol – will be put on the ballot 3 November, but it will be the only choice.
If a majority voting that day accept the new design, it will become the state flag. If a majority reject it, the commission will design a new flag using the same guidelines.
“I understand many view the current flag as a symbol of heritage and southern pride,” tweeted the country music star Faith Hill, a Mississippi native, “but we have to realize that this flag is a direct symbol of terror for our black brothers and sisters.”
Associated Press contributed to this report
died at the scene. Another shooting victim across the street at the hall of justice was taken to hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.
Video posted on social media appeared to show a man opening fire into the park as people scrambled for cover. The footage later showed at least one person bleeding profusely on the ground.
Gerth’s family said he was “incredibly kind, tenderhearted and generous, holding deep convictions and faith.”
“It was this sense of justice that drove Tyler to be part of the peaceful demonstrations advocating for the destruction of the systemic racism within our society’s systems,” the family said in a statement to the Louisville Courier Journal.
The park has for weeks been the focus of protests in the city after the police killings of Taylor and George Floyd. Saturday night’s shooting was at least the second during nearly a month of protests in Louisville over
Taylor’s death. Seven people were wounded 28 May when gunfire erupted near city hall, prompting a statement from Taylor’s mother asking people to demand justice “without hurting each other”.
“Praying for our city,” tweeted Charles Booker, the Kentucky state representative of Louisville. The Democrat is running for his party’s nomination to challenge Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell in the fall.
Taylor, 26, was killed in her Louisville home in March by police who were serving a no-knock warrant. Protesters have been calling for the officers involved in her death to be charged. One of the officers was recently dismissed.
Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, was originally charged with attempted murder after he fired a shot at one of the officers. Walker has said he thought he was defending the home from intruders.
The no-knock search warrant that allows police to enter without first announcing their presence was recently banned by Louisville’s metro council.