Mississippi basketball coach, Kermit Davis, center, joins other athletic staff from the state’s public universities calling for a change in the Mississippi state flag, during a joint news conference at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, June 25,2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)AP
Mississippi will have a new flag after both branches of the legislature passed a bill to remove the Confederate emblem from the official state banner.
Sunday’s vote ended a week of change in Mississippi, which was the last state to feature the Confederate battle flag on its state flag. In the last several days, the NCAA, SEC and Conference USA announced they would no longer hold championships in Mississippi while the current state flag flew, while Mississippi State All-SEC running back Kylin Hill threatened to sit out the season if the flag wasn’t changed.
On Thursday, dozens of coaches from college around the state — including Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin and Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach — traveled to the capitol in Jackson to lobby lawmakers to change the flag. That change took place with Sunday’s passage of the bill, which Gov. Tate Reeves has vowed to sign.
A nine-person commission will be appointed to design a new flag, which will be voted in November.
The news led to widespread reaction around the state, including in the sports world. Here’s a sampling:
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