(CNN) — The Mississippi state legislature passed a bill Sunday to remove the Confederate emblem from its flag in a landmark referendum on the only remaining state flag to feature the Confederate insignia.
The bill will now go to Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves, who has said he would enact it.
The legislation, which passed the state House of Representatives in a 91 to 23 vote and the state Senate with a 37 to 14 vote, comes as Mississippi lawmakers have been considering a change to their flag for weeks between from continued racial justice protests across the country. The flag, first adopted in 1894, has red, white, and blue stripes with the Confederate Battle emblem in the corner.
The bill establishes a commission to develop a new flag design without the Confederate emblem that includes the phrase “In God, we trust.” Mississippi state voters would vote on the new design this November.
State Representative Jeramey Anderson, a Democrat from Moss Point, applauded the vote on Sunday as a “historic moment.”
“I thank those who preceded us, who with courage and resolution nurtured the Civil Rights Movement that helped us get to this day”, tweeted. “What a beautiful moment of unity.”
And the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Derrick Johnson, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Sunday night, “This has been around for a long time.”
“Ultimately, Mississippi decided to be one of the 50 states, and not the only state that was still alone with the emblem of a segregated society,” he said.
Sunday’s vote came after the Mississippi House and Senate passed a resolution Saturday to begin the process of changing the flag.
After those votes, Jefferson Davis’ great-great-grandson Bertram Hayes-Davis agreed to the possible change of the Mississippi flag, saying that the “battle flag has been hijacked” and “does not represent the entire population of Mississippi “
“It is historical and related to heritage, there are many people who see it that way, and God bless them for that heritage. So put it in a museum or at your house, but the Mississippi flag should represent the entire population, and I’m excited that we’re finally going to make that change, “Hayes-Davis told CNN’s Ana Cabrera on Saturday in” Newsroom “
The Confederation flag, its symbols, and statues commemorating Confederate leaders have long divided the country. Critics call the flag a symbol representing war to defend slavery, while supporters call it a sign of pride and Southern heritage.
LEE: Why are the symbols of the Confederacy causing so much controversy and why are they removing them?
The symbols have increasingly become a call for union for white supremacists.
In recent weeks, the death of George Floyd has led to the removal, by protesters in some cases and city leaders in others, of contentious statues and Confederate symbols that have plagued some residents for decades, if not more.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died May 25 in Minneapolis. While being arrested, Floyd was subdued with the knee by a Minneapolis police officer for more than eight minutes.
He was pronounced dead soon after. His death, which was captured in videohas caused widespread protests across the United States, with people calling for an end to police brutality against people of color.
CNN’s Kay Jones, Allison Gordon, James Froio and Kelly Mena contributed to this report.
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