Mississippi Lawmakers Vote for Removal of Confederate Battle Emblem From State Flag
The state House voted 91-23 to remove the emblem
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The Mississippi state legislature has voted to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag as the bill goes to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves's desk.
Reeves said on Saturday he would sign the bill if the legislature passed it.
The state House and state Senate passed measures that gave way for a vote on changing the flag.
The state House voted 91-23 to remove the emblem on Sunday.
The legislature has been deadlocked for days as it considers a new state flag. The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it’s time to end it.
— Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) June 27, 2020
If they send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it. pic.twitter.com/bf3vyzuObt
The bill was passed in a 37-14 vote.
Since 1894, the Confederate "stars and bars" have been part of Mississippi's flag.
The state flag is the last one that displays the emblem.
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The emblem is widely considered racist due to ties to slavery and white supremacy groups.
The Mississippi House Rules Committee recommends that a flag commission be established to present a flag option to voters in November.
But a new flag is not permitted to include a Confederate symbol.
As Black Lives Matter protests continue nationwide following the death of George Floyd, symbols of the Confederacy are widely being contested.
NASCAR banned the Confederate flag at its events earlier his month.
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Monuments to Confederate generals are also coming down in cities and towns across the country.
Earlier this month, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) failed to condemn her father for his role in erecting a so-called "racist" Confederate statue as leftists continue to demand the "offensive" monuments are torn down.
Pelosi demanded the removal of Confederate statues occupying the U.S. Capitol.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden reacted to the Mississippi legislature's vote late Sunday.
"The arc of the moral universe bent a little bit more today," Biden tweeted, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s quote from a 1968 speech.
The arc of the moral universe bent a little bit more today. https://t.co/OzyeyLc3Rc
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 28, 2020
