ATLANTA -- Five years ago, in the wake of the horrific massacre of Black parishioners by a white supremacist at a South Carolina church, the University of Mississippi lowered the state flag for the last time on campus as Confederate symbols were being brought down across the South.The chancellor then
ATLANTA — Five years ago, in the wake of the horrific massacre of Black parishioners by a white supremacist at a South Carolina church, the University of Mississippi lowered the state flag for the last time on campus as Confederate symbols were being brought down across the South.
Now as Confederate monuments and symbols are being furiously toppled yet again, the debate over the Mississippi flag has been reinvigorated. Supporters of removing the battle flag, once and for all, say the national ferment set off by the death of George Floyd has provided a level of momentum they have not had before.
Defenders of the flag have mobilized, viewing the challenge to the flag as a renewed assault mounted against their history. The flag remains deeply polarizing in the state, with one poll taken this month reporting a statistical tie on the question of whether the state symbol should be retired. The poll conducted by Chism Strategies, a progressive advocacy group based in Mississippi, found that the divisions cleaved largely along racial and partisan lines.
A coalition of activists, elected officials and business leaders, among others, attempted again to change the Mississippi flag. Conservative political leaders joined in calling for a change, including the state’s two U.S. senators and the speaker of the Mississippi House. Still, the resistance was too stiff.
“The options we’ve got are for the Legislature to take the leadership role, or put it to a referendum,” said Philip Gunn, the Republican House speaker, according to Mississippi Today, adding, “I’ve always maintained that I feel the Legislature should take the leadership role.”
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