JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators have voted to raucous cheers and applause to remove a Confederate battle emblem from their state flag.
Mississippi’s House and Senate took historic votes Sunday to retire the flag adopted in 1894.
It's the last state flag that included a Confederate symbol that many people condemn as racist. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has said he will sign the bill. The change comes amid widespread protests over racial injustice.
Mississippi has a 38% Black population. A commission would design a new flag that cannot include the Confederate symbol but must have the words “In God We Trust.” Voters will be asked to approve the new design in the Nov. 3 election.
