Mississippi State Flag: Legislation enacts a bill to change the state flag
The bill will now go to Mississippi government Tate Reeves, who said he would sign legislation sent by state lawmakers to remove signs of the confederation.
The legislation – which cleared the State House of 91-23 votes and the State Senate with 37-14 votes – comes as Mississippi lawmakers in recent weeks have weighed a change in their flag amid continued racial justice protests across countries. Mississippi is the last state in the country whose flag bears the coat of arms of the Confederacy. The flag, first adopted in 1894, has red, white and blue stripes with the Confederate battle emblem in the corner.
Reeves, Republican, he said on Saturday that if the legislature passes a bill this weekend to remove Confederate footage from the state flag, it will sign.
“We should not be under any illusion that voting in the capital is the end of what needs to be done – the job is ahead of us to bring the state together and I intend to work night and day to do so,” Reeves said on Saturday.
State MP Jeramey Anderson, a Democrat from Moss Point, applauded the adoption of the resolution by House MPs, saying “the change of flag is long overdue.”
Anderson also said, “This is a unique opportunity, which we should not waste.”
And after the vote Saturday, Jefferson Davis’ great-grandson, Bertram Hayes-Davis, agreed to a potential change to the Mississippi flag, saying “the battle flag has been stolen” and “does not represent the entire Mississippi population.”
“It’s historical and heritage. There are a lot of people who look at it and God bless them for that heritage. So put it in a museum and honor it there or put it in your house, but the Mississippi flag should represent the entire population, and I’m thrilled that we’re finally going to make that change, “Hayes-Davis told CNN’s Ana Cabrera in the Newsroom on Saturday.
CNN’s Kay Jones, Allison Gordon, James Froio and Kelly Mena contributed to this report.
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