State Flag Debate to Carry into 2016
From a historic BP oil spill settlement to the 10 year anniversary of Katrina, we’ve seen our fair share of big stories in 2015. Some of the year’s biggest headlines are not quite done with and will be spilling over into 2016.
The Mississippi state flag made national headlines in the summer when South Carolina removed the rebel flag from their capitol grounds. This left Mississippi as the only state to fly a flag with the Confederate emblem. While Ole Miss and USM have removed the flag from their grounds in protest, the flag remains unchanged.
Local NAACP leaders are hopeful that 2016 will bring the change they are looking for. Moss Point-Jackson County NAACP President Curley Clark said, “We hope to have that issue put on the forefront of the legislative agenda here in the state of Mississippi so that the legislature can take some action in regards to changing the state flag. It’s important because I think the current flag is divisive. We need a flag that’s going to be a more unifying symbol.”
While the earliest a citizen sponsored initiative could be placed on a state ballot is 12 years from now, the NAACP is hopeful action will be taken this legislative session which starts January 5th.
The Mississippi state flag made national headlines in the summer when South Carolina removed the rebel flag from their capitol grounds. This left Mississippi as the only state to fly a flag with the Confederate emblem. While Ole Miss and USM have removed the flag from their grounds in protest, the flag remains unchanged.
Local NAACP leaders are hopeful that 2016 will bring the change they are looking for. Moss Point-Jackson County NAACP President Curley Clark said, “We hope to have that issue put on the forefront of the legislative agenda here in the state of Mississippi so that the legislature can take some action in regards to changing the state flag. It’s important because I think the current flag is divisive. We need a flag that’s going to be a more unifying symbol.”
While the earliest a citizen sponsored initiative could be placed on a state ballot is 12 years from now, the NAACP is hopeful action will be taken this legislative session which starts January 5th.
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