US: Mississippi lawmakers pass resolution to remove Confederate emblem from state flag
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The resolution comes as Confederate monuments of all kinds are being banned, removed and transformed across the nation after protests and demonstrations erupted in response to systemic racism against Black Americans.
The lawmakers in Mississippi have passed a resolution paving way to strip the Confederate emblem from the state flag.
The state House and Senate both approved a resolution to suspend legislative deadlines and introduce a bill to have a commission redesign the 126-year-old state flag.
The vote passed in both chambers of the Mississippi legislature: in the House of Representatives by a margin of 84-35, and then in the Senate by 36-14.
The resolution calls for the immediate removal of the current flag and for a commission to design a new flag in which all Confederate symbols will be removed and the words "In God We Trust" will be added. The new design will be put to a public vote in November.
Mississippi is the last state in the US to feature the emblem on its flag.
The resolution comes as Confederate monuments of all kinds are being banned, removed and transformed across the nation after protests and demonstrations erupted in response to systemic racism against Black Americans.
The Confederate emblem is viewed by many as a racist symbol, with recent protests over the death of George Floyd reigniting debate over its use.
The flag was originally used by the slave-owning states who lost the US Civil War (1860-65).