It has been almost two months since Mississippi legislators passed a resolution to remove the old state flag from its position, and now the state flag commission has narrowed down the search for a new state flag to two options.
Next week, by Sept. 2, the commission will agree on one of the choices which Mississippians will vote on in November.
“When you fly a flag up a flagpole, it sure does look different than it does on paper,” said former state Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson. Anderson is the chairman of the nine-member flag commission.
The two choices include emblems of a magnolia and a shield, respectively. They also include the phrase “In God We Trust,” which was a legislated requirement for any of the thousands of original submissions.
Mississippi’s former flag featured the Confederate battle emblem in the top left corner, which drew criticism because of its lasting ties to slavery and the Lost Cause ideology. After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, subsequent protests this summer pushed lawmakers into reaching the decision to change it.
The University of Mississippi has not flown the state flag on campus since 2015.
Of the thousands of submissions, the two finalists quickly became fan-favorites. The flag featuring the shield, created by “The Old Try,” has over 20,000 followers on Instagram. The other option features 21 stars, one dedicated to Native American tribes and the other twenty in reference to Mississippi’s status as the 20th state in the Union.
The final flag will be featured on the Nov. 3 ballot for Mississippians to accept or deny.
