The mayor of Mississippi got emotional as he signed the order to remove the state flag adopted in 1894 from all the city-owned buildings.
Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee, a black man, signed the order on Tuesday to remove the Mississippi State Flag. He got emotional while speaking and couldn’t hold back his tears. The flag had a symbol of the Confederate battle flag. Magee is a native Mississippian, and it has been eight years since he is serving as the mayor of the town.
Magee said he had seen the civil rights era, and this flag has so many painful memories attached to it.
He added that people had misused this flag as a symbol of violence and malice, which contradicts the nation’s ideology. Magee got emotional while speaking; he took a long pause and couldn’t talk anything for almost a minute. He was trying hard to hold back his tears.
He said that now is the time when we think it is important to redefine our principles and the people and thoughts we represent. The Confederate battle flag needs to be replaced by something that supports our values. The debate regarding the selection of the new flag is in process.
The world leaders and the general public has lately been vocal against racial injustice. Mississippian demonstrators also demanded the authorities to remove things representing white supremacy and all the Confederate battle symbols.
There was immense pressure on the government and lawmakers to adopt a new flag. The strong demand from the public leads to the decision that the citizens will vote whether the flag should be removed or not. Walmart, a chain of 65 stores, Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, NCCA, and many other organizations and universities, announced to boycott the current flag.
55% of the people voted to change the flag. Therefore, Magee signed the executive order, and 30 seconds later, the flag was removed from all city buildings. The old flag will probably be kept in a museum or a library.