Mississippi governor signs bill to retire state's Confederate-themed flag

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday evening to retire the last state flag in the U.S. that includes the Confederate battle emblem.

His office announced a signing ceremony at the Governor's Mansion, two days after a broad coalition of legislators passed the landmark measure to change the flag.

As soon as the Republican governor signed the bill, the flag lost its official status.

Several Black legislators, and a few white ones, kept pushing for years to change it. After a white gunman who posed with the Confederate flag killed Black worshipers at a South Carolina church in 2015, Mississippi's Republican speaker of the House, Philip Gunn, said his religious faith compelled him to say that Mississippi must purge the symbol from its flag.

But the issue was still broadly considered too volatile for legislators to touch, until the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis set off weeks of sustained protests against racial injustice, followed by call after call to take down Confederate symbols.

A groundswell of business, religion, education and sports leaders called on Mississippi to make this change, finally providing the momentum for legislators to vote.

NJ Governor Murphy Orders Mississippi State Flag be Removed From Liberty State Park

NJ Governor Phil Murphy today ordered that the Mississippi state flag be replaced by the American flag at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park. Flags from every state in the country adorn poles along Freedom Way, which runs through the park. The Mississippi State flag, which prominently features the Confederate emblem, will be replaced with an American flag.

“New Jersey’s strength is rooted in our diverse communities,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “The Confederate symbol displayed on the Mississippi state flag is reprehensible and does not reflect our values of inclusivity and equality. I applaud Senator Cunningham for bringing this issue in her district to my attention.”

“The Confederate flag symbolizes an era of hate, violence, and division,” said Sen. Sandra Cunningham. “I thank Governor Murphy for his commitment to tolerance and equality and for the decision to remove this hateful symbol from Liberty State Park. Hate has no home in New Jersey.”

Black judge removes Mississippi flag with Confederate emblem from courtroom

Carlos Moore made history this week when he took to the bench as the first African-American municipal judge in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Then he made a ruckus.

On his first day on the job, Moore ordered officials to remove the Mississippi state flag from his courtroom, because that flag contains the Confederate emblem in its upper left corner.

"It was such a great feeling to see the police officer drag the despicable flag from the courtroom during open court. Great first day!" the judge posted on Facebook on Monday.

In Moore's eyes, the Mississippi state flag doesn't stand for justice and instead shows the state supports the Confederacy's legacy of slavery, he told WATN-TV in Memphis.

Another factor in Moore's decision was the fact that a lot of the people who will stand before him in court will be African-Americans.

"Most of the people that appear before me will be African-American, and they need to feel that the courtroom is gonna be a place they can get justice," he said. "That flag does not stand for justice."

It isn't the first time Moore has fought the flag. He filed a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction to stop the state from flying the flag and to rule that its design is unconstitutional. But US District Judge Carlton W. Reeves tossed the suit out last year.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Robert E. Lee was not a Confederate Flag supporter

There is much contention as Confederate monuments and flags on state capital grounds come down around the United States. Those who support these flags/monuments say they want them to stay in place to honor the men from the South who fought and died in the Civil War. If they want to honor these men then maybe they should remember the thoughts of one of the Confederacy's best generals, Robert E. Lee who thought the flag should no longer be flown after the war ended. Learn more in the video below.

NAACP: NCCA should move softball tourney from Mississippi because of rebel flag

A civil rights group is asking the NCAA to move a regional softball tournament out of Mississippi because the state flag contains the Confederate battle emblem.

Mississippi NAACP president Derrick Johnson calls the emblem a “racial hate symbol.”

The University of Mississippi in Oxford is hosting an NCAA regional tournament Friday through Sunday, based on the team’s performance.

Since 2001, the NCAA has not scheduled a “pre-selected championship,” such as a football bowl game, in a state where the rebel flag flies prominently. However, the NCAA allows schools in those states to host events in which the team earns a home field advantage.

The NCAA praised South Carolina in 2015 for removing a Confederate battle flag from the statehouse. The collegiate sports group called the flag a “symbol of racism.”

[SOURCE: WREG.COM]

Notable Mississippians join chorus to change state flag

In a letter appearing in a full-page ad in today's Clarion-Ledger, author John Grisham, actor Morgan Freeman, legendary quarterback Archie Manning, "The Help" author Kathryn Stockett and others are calling for removal of the Confederate emblem from Mississippi's state flag.

With other states removing their Confederate battle flags, Mississippi remains the last with the Confederate emblem flying over the statehouse.

"It is simply not fair, or honorable, to ask black Mississippians to attend schools, compete in athletic events, work in the public sector, serve in the National Guard, and go about their normal lives with a state flag that glorifies a war fought to keep their ancestors enslaved," the letter says. "It's time for Mississippi to fly a flag for all its people."

Read more: Celebrities to Miss.: 'A Flag for All of Us'

Bree Newsome charged, could face 3 years in prison.

Bree Newsome has become a hero to many by climbing a flagpole outside the South Carolina statehouse and removing the confederate battle flag that hangs there. While she has been cheered by many, and referred too as a hero her actions could send her to prison. She and her accomplice, Jimmy Tyson have been freed on bond and charged with "defacing monuments on state capitol grounds" which is punishable by up to three years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

Please sign this petition on ColorOfChange.org asking that all charges be dropped against Bree Newsome and Jimmy Tyson.

Drop any charges against Bree Newsome

No one is banning your racist flag!

Hi, this is George Cook of AfricanAmericanReports.com. I just want to take a few minutes (3 to be exact) to challenge the conservative lies that the Traitor Flag, oops I meant Confederate Flag is being banned and that retailers are pandering to African Americans by refusing to sell merchandise featuring the flag. Listen to my thoughts below.