Mississippi was the only state that featured a flag bearing a pro-slavery emblem.
But that all changed following the 2020 general election when Mississippi voters approved a new design that will feature a magnolia blossom surrounded by 20 stars against a dark blue background.
The new design, titled “In God We Trust,” replaces the state’s 126-year-old pennant, which incorporated elements of the Confederate battle flag in the upper-left corner.
It’s been an on-going battle to overhaul the previous flag but the state’s legislative committees would kill bills to either remove the Confederate battle emblem or require universities from flying it.
All eight Mississippi public universities, several cities and counties have stopped flying the flag. Many jurisdictions made the decision to remove it after a white supremacist killed nine black worshippers in a Charleston, South Carolina church in 2015.
But it wasn’t until the police killing of George Floyd that sparked law makers to take action.
Following pressure from Black Lives Matter activists including the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill to retire the old flag and begin the process of finding a new design.
He said it was a first step toward healing the scourge of racism and oppression that has defined Mississippi’s public image over the years.