Mississippi legislature votes to remove Confederate flag emblem from state flag News
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Mississippi legislature votes to remove Confederate flag emblem from state flag

The Mississippi state legislature voted to change its flag on Sunday, removing the Confederate emblem from its state flag.

The bill passed by a 91-23 House vote and a 37-14 Senate vote.

“I would guess a lot of you don’t even see that flag in the corner right there,” said Mississippi state Representative Ed Blackmon during public comment on Saturday. “There are some of us who notice it every time we walk in here, and it’s not a good feeling.”

The bill is the latest step⁠—among many following George Floyd’s death⁠—to reexamine systematic racism in the US.

“I understand many view the current flag as a symbol of heritage and Southern pride, but we have to realize that this flag is a direct symbol of terror,” country singer Faith Hill tweeted in support of the flag change. “[I]t is time for the world to meet the Mississippi of today and not the Mississippi of 1894 (when the MS legislature voted on the current flag).”

The bill awaits the signature of Governor Tate Reeves.