Mississippi voters replace old Confederate state flag
The new flag will replace the flag the state had flown for 126 years
By AARON REICHThe Mississippi state flag, which incorporates the Confederate battle flag, hangs with other state flags in the subway system under the U.S. Capitol in Washington June 23, 2015.(photo credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS)Mississippi's voters took to polls Tuesday not just to decide who will sit in the White House for the next four years, but for their new official state flag. And with the votes tallied, a new flag has officially been chosen, NBC News reported.Known as "The New Magnolia" and designed by artist Rocky Vaughn, the flag received 68% of the vote in a public state-wide referendum. It has a magnolia blossom in the center of the flag, which according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History is "a symbol long-used to represent our state and the hospitality of our citizens," and is reflective of the state's nickname of "The Magnolia State."The blossom is surrounded by a ring of 20 stars, symbolizing Mississippi's status as the 20th state to join the US, as well as red, gold and blue stripes. And at the base of the flag is the phrase "In God We Trust" with a five-pointed gold star at the peak, which represents the Native American tribes who lived there, according to NBC News.The design "represents Mississippi's sense of hope and rebirth, as the Magnolia often blooms more than once and has a long blooming season," the Department of Archives and History said in a statement, NBC reported.The new flag will replace the flag the state had flown for 126 years. Adopted by the state in 1894, it featured blue and white horizontal stripes and a Confederate flag emblem in the corner.Due to its association with the Confederacy, the flag had always drawn controversy. However, a 2001 statewide vote saw a majority in favor of keeping it. But public opinion has changed in recent years, and calls to replace the flag became more widespread. This was especially the case due to the recent widespread Black Lives Matter protest, which saw an effort to distance the US from symbols of racial injustice.The flag was also seen by some as a factor hampering the state's growth and hurting its image, as evidenced by threats from the NCAA's Southeastern Conference, which warned it could bar the state from events should it not change the flag.However, some still support the old flag, and argued that changing it would be an effective erasure of history, CNN reported.Despite the state flying a new, controversy-free flag, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who advocated for the public referendum, said removing or changing the old flag would not end longstanding divides."We must find a way to come together," he said during the legislative debate in June, according to NBC News. "To heal our wounds, to forgive, to resolve that a page has been turned, to trust each other. With God's help, we can."
