Community leaders in Meridian welcome new state flag

Published 5:30 pm Wednesday, January 6, 2021

With a new flag set to become the state’s official flag, Meridian community leaders are praising the change, calling it a step forward.

The Mississippi Legislature voted to approve the new state flag, which contains a magnolia blossom and the words “In God We Trust.”

Gov. Tate Reeves is expected to sign the bill into law in the next several days, according to the Associated Press,.

Mississippi voters approved the flag design in the November election, but the legislature still had to pass a law that makes the state officially adopt the flag.

With a vote of 119-1, the House ratified the new flag on Tuesday, according to Mississippi Today. Rep. Steve Horne, R-Meridian, was the only representative who voted against ratification.

The Senate approved the flag on Wednesday, with a vote of 38-7, according to Mississippi Today. Sen. Jeff Tate, R-Meridian, was among those who voted against ratification.

The state has been without an official flag since late June 2020, when the legislature voted to retire the 1894 flag, which contains the Confederate battle emblem. An appointed commission had to decide on a new design for the state flag, according to Mississippi Today.

The design that the commission choose includes 20 white stars, which represent Mississippi’s status as the twentieth state.

The gold star on the flag represents the first peoples, or the Native Americans who occupied Mississippi before it became a state, said Cyrus Ben, tribal chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, in October.

The gold star also represents the five inhabited areas of the world — the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia/Oceania — according to the bill.

“Mississippi does need to be without a flag, and I’m excited that we have transitioned from the stars and bars to something that is representative of the entire state of Mississippi,” said State Rep. Charles Young (D-District 82). “I’m ready to fly the new flag.”

Young said the House also voted to approve money to have the flag made. This money will pay for flags at government entities in the state.

Amy Carter, superintendent of Meridian Public School District, said in a statement that the new flag symbolizes “a new day in our state” because the process used to select the flag gave voice to the citizens of Mississippi.

“The flag’s design is more inclusive and promotes hope moving forward especially for future generations of students,” Carter said.

Meridian educator Lisa Mercer also commented on the new flag.

“I would love to believe that it is the beginning of the end of the mindset of what Mississippi represents in a negative connotation of division and divided Christian beliefs and racism,” she said.

The reality, she emphasized, is that the new flag is just a step.

“I’m glad for the step, but it is just a step,” she said. “It’s going to take hearts and minds to change.”

One of the steps that is necessary is telling the truth about the old flag, she said. She believes that people should tell the truth about the past.

“America is one of the freest countries in the world, but it is not perfect,” she said. “And we need to acknowledge that — that we are not perfect.”

After Reeves signs the bill, officials will hold a ceremony to raise the new flag at the state Capitol.

The City of Meridian will hold its flag-raising ceremony for the new flag in front of City Hall on Monday, Jan. 11, at 12:15 p.m., according to a press release.