Mississippi lawmakers have taken a big step toward erasing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. Debate could begin tomorrow, and the state's Republican governor said that if the Legislature sends him a bill changing the flag, he will sign it.
Don Hartness of Ellisville, walks around the Capitol carrying the current Mississippi state flag and the American flag, Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Jackson, Miss. A supporter of the current flag, Hartness wanted to make his position known to lawmakers as he walked around the building for several hours.
On the other end of the Capitol, Sen. Briggs Hopson declared: “Today, you — Mississippi — have a date with destiny.”with the Confederate battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. Many see the emblem as racist, and the flag has been divisive for generations in a state with a 38% Black population.Republican Gov. Tate 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.
Saturday’s vote was the big test, though, because of the margin. Only a simple majority is needed to pass a bill. “I know there are many good people who ... believe that this flag is a symbol of our Southern pride and heritage,” said White, the Republican speaker pro tempore of the House. “But for most people throughout our nation and the world, they see that flag and think that it stands for hatred and oppression.”outside the state Capitol for people who want to keep the Confederate emblem on the flag. He said Saturday that the current flag and a proposed new design should both go on the ballot.
Democratic state Rep. Ed Blackmon of Canton — the husband of Sen. Barbara Blackmon — told the House on Saturday that threats were made against him and others who served on a flag design commission in 2000. Ed Blackmon said Mississippi needs a design without the Confederate design so his children and grandchildren can stand at attention when they see it.All of the state’s public universities and several cities and counties have stopped flying it because of the Confederate symbol.
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