Some of Mississippi’s most well-known natives have voiced their opinions on the state’s flag inclusion of the Confederate battle design in a full-page advertisement taken out in the Clarion-Ledger.
Advertisement
A number of prominent Mississippians – including the great-great-grandson of Confederate President Jefferson Davis – already had said they believed it was time to retire the Confederate symbol from Mississippi’s flag.
“I think you will also see legislation that will be drafted to preserve all historic statues and emblems of flags with historic preservation”, Jackson said.
The current state flag of Mississippi has been in use since 1894, well before several other formerly Confederate states embraced the symbol.
The two SEC coaches put their names on a petition asking for the removal of the Confederate emblem on the Mississippi state flag.
Other celebrities who signed the letter included: Kathryn Stockett, author of “The Help;” Grammy-winning producer Glen Ballard, Basketball Hall of Famer Bailey Howell, former Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford, and former Gov. William Winter, according to the AP. At the time, Mullen had stopped short of calling for the flag to be changed, avoiding the question by talking instead about the diversity of the Mississippi State campus.
Mississippi is the last state with the Confederate emblem flying over the statehouse. In a unanimous move Tuesday night the Oxford Board of Aldermen voted to remove the state flag from all city buildings.
Following his arrest, a contentious and emotional debate played out among politicians in South Carolina. The threat of sanctions from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) could also force the issue more quickly, he said.
The Mississippi Onward PAC has gone on record to ask Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) to call a special session of the Legislature to deal strictly with the flag controversy, something that the Governor has not expressed any interest in doing at this time.
Advertisement
“I’m a Mississippian. No one understands the pride of the people and the heritage of that state any better than I do”.
