Mississippi Removes Sign of Confederacy From Flag
2020-06-30
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1Mississippi lawmakers voted Sunday to remove the Confederate flag emblem, which dates back to the U.S. Civil War, from the state's flag.
2The move had wide support from both political parties in the two houses of the state's legislature.
3People cheered the votes and lawmakers hugged each other.
4Governor Tate Reeves, a member of the Republican Party, said he will sign the bill into law "in coming days."
5Mississippi is the last state of the Confederacy to keep the Confederate battle emblem on its state flag.
6The emblem served as the flag for the 13 states that sought to withdraw from the United States, starting the Civil War in the 1860s.
7The emblem is widely considered a sign of racial oppression.
8Thirty-eight percent of the state's population is black.
9African Americans and others have pushed for the change for years.
10Representative Robert Johnson of Natchez held back tears as he spoke to reporters.
11He said the Confederate emblem was painful to him and other African Americans.
12He praised the understanding that his white colleagues had developed.
13"They began to understand and feel the same thing that I've been feeling for 61 years of my life," Johnson said.
14A commission will design a new flag.
15The Confederate emblem is barred from appearing.
16However, the new flag is required to have the words, "In God We Trust," on it.
17House Speaker Philip Gunn has supported changing the flag for five years.
18He said it was offensive.
19Mississippi's House passed the bill 91 to 23 on Sunday and hours later the Senate voted 37 to 14 for the change.
20Voters will decide on the new design in the next election on November 3.
21If they reject that design, the commission will create a different one using the same guidelines.
22An increasing number of cities and all of the state's public universities would not show the flag in recent years.
23Religious groups, including the Mississippi Baptist Convention, said removing the emblem was a moral issue.
24Business groups said the flag hurt economic development for the state which is considered the poorest in the nation.
25In addition, college sports organization threatened to bar Mississippi schools from some sporting events if the state kept its flag.
26However, many people in the state said they wanted to keep the emblem as a sign of the state's history.
27Lawmakers put the sign, a red field with a blue X containing 13 stars, in the upper left of the Mississippi flag in 1894.
28In 2000, the Mississippi Supreme Court found that the Confederate emblem was not included when state laws were updated in 1906.
29This meant that the flag was not official.
30The issue was put to a public vote.
31But the people of Mississippi voted to keep the flag.
32Former Governor William Winter said removing the Confederate emblem was "long overdue."
33State Senator Derrick Simmons of the Democratic Party said the state should have a flag that makes all people living in it proud.
34"Today is a history-making day in the state of Mississippi," Simmons said.
35I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Mississippi lawmakers voted Sunday to remove the Confederate flag emblem, which dates back to the U.S. Civil War, from the state's flag. 2The move had wide support from both political parties in the two houses of the state's legislature. People cheered the votes and lawmakers hugged each other. Governor Tate Reeves, a member of the Republican Party, said he will sign the bill into law "in coming days." 3Mississippi is the last state of the Confederacy to keep the Confederate battle emblem on its state flag. The emblem served as the flag for the 13 states that sought to withdraw from the United States, starting the Civil War in the 1860s. The emblem is widely considered a sign of racial oppression. 4Thirty-eight percent of the state's population is black. African Americans and others have pushed for the change for years. 5Representative Robert Johnson of Natchez held back tears as he spoke to reporters. He said the Confederate emblem was painful to him and other African Americans. He praised the understanding that his white colleagues had developed. 6"They began to understand and feel the same thing that I've been feeling for 61 years of my life," Johnson said. 7A commission will design a new flag. The Confederate emblem is barred from appearing. However, the new flag is required to have the words, "In God We Trust," on it. 8House Speaker Philip Gunn has supported changing the flag for five years. He said it was offensive. Mississippi's House passed the bill 91 to 23 on Sunday and hours later the Senate voted 37 to 14 for the change. 9Voters will decide on the new design in the next election on November 3. If they reject that design, the commission will create a different one using the same guidelines. 10An increasing number of cities and all of the state's public universities would not show the flag in recent years. Religious groups, including the Mississippi Baptist Convention, said removing the emblem was a moral issue. Business groups said the flag hurt economic development for the state which is considered the poorest in the nation. In addition, college sports organization threatened to bar Mississippi schools from some sporting events if the state kept its flag. 11However, many people in the state said they wanted to keep the emblem as a sign of the state's history. Lawmakers put the sign, a red field with a blue X containing 13 stars, in the upper left of the Mississippi flag in 1894. 12In 2000, the Mississippi Supreme Court found that the Confederate emblem was not included when state laws were updated in 1906. This meant that the flag was not official. The issue was put to a public vote. But the people of Mississippi voted to keep the flag. 13Former Governor William Winter said removing the Confederate emblem was "long overdue." 14State Senator Derrick Simmons of the Democratic Party said the state should have a flag that makes all people living in it proud. 15"Today is a history-making day in the state of Mississippi," Simmons said. 16I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 17Emily Wagster Pettus reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20emblem -n. an image that represents an idea 21colleague -n. a person who works with you 22proud -adj. causing a feeling of happiness or being pleased with something