Mississippi votes to Remove Confederate Symbol from State Flag

The Mississippi State House of Representatives and Senate voted to remove the southern US flag from a Confederate symbol on Sunday. The decision on Sunday comes as a wave of anti-racism protests across the United States has rekindled controversy over the persistence of symbols of slavery.

Mississippi parliamentarians decided that a new state flag should be adopted. The current flag includes the standard – red background, diagonal blue cross with small white stars – which represented the Southern States, opposed to the abolition of slavery, during the Civil War (1861-1865).

Read also the interview of July 13, 2015: “The Confederate flag has been the banner of racist groups”

The removal of the emblem was approved Sunday by the Mississippi House of Representatives by a majority of 91 votes to 23. The vote sparked clamors of approval in the public gallery. Then the Senate in turn approved the provision by 37 votes to 14, and senators celebrated the vote with cheers and hugs.

Mississippi is the only state to have the southern emblem on its flag since neighboring Georgia abandoned it in 2003.

Governor Tate Reeves Will Not Use Veto

The law passed on Sunday provides that a nine-member commission will design a new flag that will include the phrase “In God We Trust”, the American currency. Mississippi citizens will have to vote on the new flag in November. If they reject it, the state will not have a flag until a new design has been approved.

Mississippi Democrat Senator John Horhn said changing the flag alone would not dissipate the effects of the racist past in the southern United States. “But it is a big step on the path to recognizing humanity and the value God gives to everyone,” he said.

Read the press review again: Questionable slogan: let’s debunk the statues of historical figures symbols of slavery and racism!

Governor Tate Reeves, who was not in favor of the flag debate, said on Saturday that he would not use his veto and would pass the law if it was passed.