Mississippi’s state legislature approved a bill on Sunday night to redesign the state flag and remove the Confederate battle insignia from it on Sunday night.
The historic bill passed the state House in a 91-23 vote and the Senate by 37-14 votes, according to CNN.
Mississippi Senate majority leader and Lieutenant Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R) affirmed the move on Sunday night, asserting via Twitter that it was “for the future of our children and grandchildren.”
State Sen. Derrick Simmons (D), the Senate’s minority leader who is also Black, tweeted “Today made me feel proud to be a Mississippian! I love my state!”
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has backed the removal of the “divisive” emblem, stating on Saturday that he intends to sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
“For economic prosperity and for a better future for my kids and yours, we must find a way to come together,” Reeves said on Saturday. “To heal our wounds, to forgive, to resolve that the page has been turned, to trust each other.”
The move is a response to an emerging nationwide reckoning with symbols of the Confederacy, which are widely considered to be tributes to the country’s history of white supremacy, amid the recent waves of protests against anti-Black police brutality.
