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Mississippi lawmakers voted over the weekend to make a major change to the state flag. After increased calls to retire the current state flag, lawmakers passed a bill that would remove the Confederate symbol from the flag.
The bill will now go to the desk of Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who said that he would sign it into law, according to CNN.com.
Mississippi is the only remaining state flag to feature the Confederate insignia.
The state House passed the legislation by a 91-23 vote, while the state Senate passed the law with a 37-14 vote.
The flag has long been controversial because of the Confederate battle symbol, and with protests across the nation against systemic racism and social inequality, the time was now to make a positive step forward. As for what the new flag will look like, it will be the decision of state residents.
From the report:
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 then vote on the new design this November.
“I thank my colleagues, constituents and the activists who fought so hard to bring about this historic moment. I thank those who came before us, who with courage and resolve nurtured the Civil Rights Movement that helped bring us to this day,” State Rep. Jeramey Anderson wrote on Twitter. “What a beautiful moment of unity.”
Jefferson Davis’ great-great-grandson, Bertram Hayes-Davis, also agreed with the move and noted that the current flag does not represent the “entire population” of the state.
“It is historic and heritage-related, there are a lot of people who look at it that way, 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 flag of Mississippi should represent the entire population, and I am thrilled that we’re finally going to make that change,” Hayes-Davis said over the weekend.
