Mississippi wants to turn a controversial page. This southern state of the United States is about to remove the Confederate symbol from its flag, the last to display the colors of the former slave troops.
Red background, blue cross diagonally with small white stars: the banner represented the Southern States, opposed to the abolition of slavery, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Symbol of the troubled history of the country, the flag is part, like the statues of the Confederate generals or slavery leaders, of the emblems called into question within the framework of the great anti-racist demonstrations which shake America for a month.
The Nascar automobile championship, particularly popular in the South, has just banned it on its circuits, where it could be seen brandished by fans. Mississippi, with a long segregationist past, is the last state to display this badge on its flag since Georgia renounced it in 2003. Two years earlier, elected officials in Mississippi had refused to shed a flag that they see it as an integral part of the heritage and culture of the South. But on Saturday, under increasing pressure from economic, sports, cultural and activist circles, they made a about-face.
A referendum on a new ground
Two thirds of the elected representatives of the House of Representatives and the Senate adopted a resolution authorizing the examination in plenary session of a law aimed at redrawing the flag of the State. According to the text, which could be put to the vote on Sunday, the new banner will no longer have the embarrassing symbol and a commission will propose a new reason which will have to be approved by referendum in November.
Governor Tate Reeves, who previously opposed such a reform, said he would not use his veto and would pass the law if passed, which is very likely given the results of preliminary votes.
In fiery debates on Saturday, the elected Democrat and black Edward Blackman stressed how difficult it was to pass almost every day in front of the Confederate flag. "I hope (the next one) will make us all proud when we look at it, not just some of us," he said.
Republican politician Jason White also called for change. "We do not destroy our heritage, we accomplish it," he said. A handful of his Republican colleagues continued to defend the idea of consulting the population before withdrawing the Confederate badge.
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