Mississippi governor signs law for flag without rebel emblem | Nation
Voters will cast their ballot on Tuesday, Nov. 3 on whether to make the magnolia centered banner chosen by the Mississippi State Flag Commission, displayed outside the Old State Capitol Museum in downtown Jackson, Miss., Sept. 2, 2020, as the new state flag as seen in this file photograph.
The voter-selected “In God We Trust” flag flies underneath a United States flag at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., prior to an NCAA college football game between Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, Saturday Nov. 7, 2020. The state flag-elect, which must be approved by the Legislature, was selected by voters during the general election Nov. 3, 2020.
Lee Anglada of Biloxi, stands on the steps of the Mississippi Capitol and waves the retired state flag which incorporated a Confederate battle emblem and a pro-Trump banner during a small protest of the constitutional process to affirm the president-elect’s victory in the November election at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
Members of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol Honor Guard prepare to raise the new Mississippi State flag at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Earlier in the afternoon, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs into law, legislation that creates the new state flag during a ceremony in Jackson, Miss., Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. The new banner features a magnolia at the center and replaces the retired flag that was the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Flag commission members stand behind Gov. Tate Reeves as he signs into law, legislation that creates the new state flag during a ceremony in Jackson, Miss., Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. The new banner features a magnolia at the center and replaces the retired flag that was the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Flag commission members applaud as Gov. Tate Reeves finishes signing into law, legislation that creates the new state flag during a ceremony in Jackson, Miss., Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. The new banner features a magnolia at the center and replaces the retired flag that was the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, right, presents a new Mississippi State flag to Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and a member of the new state flag commission, for presentation to state officials at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., for the ceremonial raising of the new banner, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Earlier, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
A lone protester waves the retired state flag as he walks along the sidewalk at the Capitol following the ceremonial raising of the new Mississippi State flag at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Earlier in the afternoon, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with a magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves leads flag commission members as they carry the new Mississippi state flag to the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., for the ceremonial raising of the banner, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Earlier in the afternoon, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with a magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
State flag commission members Mack Varner, left, and Frank Bordeaux, sports state flag bearing face masks as they participate in the ceremonial raising of the new Mississippi State flag at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Earlier in the afternoon, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Members of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol Honor Guard stand at attention as they prepare to raise the new Mississippi State flag at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Earlier in the afternoon, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
The new Mississippi state flag flies under the eagle at the top of the Capitol rotunda following the ceremonial unfurling in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Earlier in the afternoon, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Mississippi hoisted a new state flag without the Confederate battle emblem on Monday. The retired flag was the last state banner in the U.S. that included the divisive rebel symbol.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi hoisted a new state flag without the Confederate battle emblem on Monday, just over six months after legislators retired the last state banner in the U.S. that included the divisive rebel symbol.
The new flag has a magnolia and the phrase, “In God We Trust.” Voters approved the design in November, and Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday signed a law to make it an official state symbol.
“A new chapter in our history begins today,” one of the leaders in changing the flag, Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn, told more than 100 people who gathered in near-freezing weather to watch the new flag being raised outside the state Capitol.
Just before signing the law, Reeves said the old flag with the Confederate symbol was “a prominent roadblock to unity.”
“When many looked at our former flag, they just saw a symbol of the state and heritage they love. But many felt dismissed, diminished and even hated because of that flag,” Reeves said. “That is not a firm foundation for our state. So today, we turn the page.”
Momentum to change the Mississippi flag built quickly in June as protests against racial injustice were happening across the nation. Legislators created a commission to design a new flag, specifying that the banner could not include Confederate imagery and that it must include “In God We Trust.”
