Mississippi governor says he will sign bill, if it passes, to change ‘divisive’ state flag

"The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it’s time to end it," Gov. Tate Reeves said in a tweet Saturday.


Mississippi state flags are positioned on a vehicle amid an arrangement with the American flag and a Gadsden flag during a drive-by “re-open Mississippi” protest past the Governor’s Mansion, in Jackson, Miss. on April 25, 2020.

The governor of Mississippi announced that if the state legislature votes to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, he will sign the bill.

Gov. Tate Reeves’ statement comes as Mississippi lawmakers are expected to consider a measure on the flag Saturday.

“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. If they send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it,” Reeves said in a tweet Saturday morning.

Mississippi is the last state in the nation to feature the Confederate emblem on its flag, and Reeves has previously said any change to the flag should come through a popular vote rather than the legislature.

One of the most popular choices is the Stennis flag — originally known as the Declare Mississippi flag — which was created by Jackson artist Laurin Stennis, granddaughter of the late Sen. John Stennis, in 2014.Jun 11, 2020
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2020/06/11/stennis-flag-5-things-know-popular-replacement-choice/5345862002/

He acknowledged in a Facebook post on Thursday, however, that vetoing such legislation would be “pointless.”

But he said in his tweet Saturday that the state will still need to bring people together around a flag change, even if the move comes from legislation rather than a popular vote.

For more, check Source: NBC News

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