The Mississippi Historical Society enthusiastically and unequivocally supports changing the state flag. Our position comes out of acknowledgement that the inclusion of Confederate imagery on the flag in 1894 did not represent all Mississippians. The persistent use of Confederate imagery to signify opposition to civil rights and racial equality throughout the twentieth century further underscores our position, as does the continued association of this symbol with various acts of terror and violence that have accompanied some of our nation’s most recent racial injustices. We support retiring the current flag as a historical artifact and selecting a new flag that will unify, not divide.
