Mississippi lawmakers vote to (finally) remove Confederate symbol in state flag

On Sunday, Mississippi lawmakers voted to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. 

The bill calling for its removal passed 91-23 in the state House and 37-14 in the state Senate. 

Before Sunday’s vote, Mississippi’s state flag was the only state banner remaining in the country that still depicted an overt Confederate symbol, according to the New York Times. (The emblem has remained on the state flag for 126 years.) 

Now, the bill is off to Republican Governor Tate Reeves, who has expressed that he will sign it. 

A commission in charge of the flag’s redesign will also be formed, per the bill’s language, and Mississippi voters will need to approve it in November. (If rejected, the commission will draft another redesign, to be presented to the Legislature in 2021.) Read more…

More about Mississippi, Confederate Flag, Confederacy, Racism In America, and Confederate Statue