Mississippi, the last American state to renounce the Confederate emblem

The State House of Representatives and the State Senate voted on Sunday for a bill that will send the current flag to oblivion. The legislation has gained support from two main parties.

Republican Governor Tate Reeves has already announced that it will ratify the bill. As soon as it has signed the document, the current pavilion will lose its official status.

The President of the House of Representatives, Republican Philip Gunn, a white man, had wanted a new flag for five years, saying the Confederate emblem was offensive. Representatives adopted the bill by a vote of 91-23. The senators then imitated them by a vote of 37-14.

How good it is to celebrate this on this day of the Lord, commented Mr. Gunn. Many had prayed to him for this day to come. He has answered, he added.

Mississippi has long refused all those who demanded the removal of this racist emblem, but the rapid developments of the past few weeks have convinced elected officials to change their rifles.

Protests against racial injustice have increased in the United States, including Mississippi. Several leaders from business, religion, education and sport have spoken out strongly against the current state flag. They urged legislators to abandon this flag adopted 126 years ago for a new one that would better reflect the diversity of the state, of which 38% of the population is black.

A commission will be appointed to design a new flag which cannot include the Confederate symbol, but which must be inscribed In God We Trust [nous avons confiance en Dieu].

The House of Representatives and the Senate had agreed to suspend the legislative deadlines in force to accept the tabling of the bill.

We have economic problems, we have problems with football, but this vote came from the heart. That makes it so much more important.

African-American Democrat Senator David Jordan, who has been calling for a change of flag for decades, was all smiles after Saturday’s vote. It’s such a metamorphosis, he pushed.

Mississippi is the last U.S. state to have a Confederate flag on its flag – a red background topped with a blue X with 13 white stars. The flag has been a source of division for generations. All public universities in the state have stopped floating it, as have an increasing number of cities and counties.

Reeves and many other politicians have said that voters will vote on the future flag in the November 3 elections. If a majority accepts the flag proposed by the commission, it will become the banner of the State. If a majority rejects it, the commission will design a new one, however using the same guidelines.

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