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Why is the Confederate flag a symbol of slavery? (Video from 2015)
(CNN) - A bipartisan group of Mississippi state lawmakers wants to remove the Confederate battle flag emblem from the Mississippi state flag and appears to be supported by at least one powerful Republican lawmaker.
The push from state lawmakers was approved by Republican Speaker of the Mississippi House Philip Gunn during a closed-door meeting, State Representative Robert Johnson told CNN.
"Everyone agrees to get rid of the segregation messages, and the old South and the Civil War, except Mississippi," said Johnson, a Democrat.
- Confederate flag waving at South Carolina Capitol removed
In this photo, from April 25, 2020, a participant holds a small Mississippi state flag during a "Mississippi reopening" protest as they pass the Governor's Mansion, in the background, in the city of Jackson. The current flag bears on the part of the banner the design of the Civil War era Confederate battle flag, which has been at the center of a simmering debate on its removal or replacement. (AP Photo / Rogelio V. Solis)
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are in the process of vying for a resolution that would allow for changes to the flag. The 45 Democratic members of the Mississippi House of Representatives have signaled that they will support that resolution. However, bipartisan support is needed to reach the necessary two-thirds majority.
The move comes after renewed efforts across the country to remove Confederate memorials as the nation grapples with the intertwined legacies of institutionalized racism and police brutality. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that he would remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, but a judge has blocked his intention. The Nascar on Wednesday declared a ban on the Confederate flag in their careers, and the United States Navy has also moved to ban the display of the Confederate battle flag.
The Nascar bans the Confederate flag at its events 0:46In protests across the country, statues of Confederate leaders and monuments to the Confederacy have been destroyed or defaced in recent days, following the death of George Floyd, after a white police officer pressed his knee against the neck of Floyd for almost 9 minutes. The statues of Christopher Columbus have also been destroyed or disfigured for their treatment of the indigenous communities it encountered and for their role in violent colonization.
President Donald Trump has been firm in his desire to see statues of Confederate leaders remain standing and on Wednesday he used Twitter to oppose an attempt to remove the names of Confederate commanders from US military bases.
The fight for the Confederate battle flag featured on the Mississippi state flag is not new.
The Mississippi flag has included the Confederate emblem, a blue cross with 13 stars on a red background, since 1894. Critics of the state flag say it is racist, while others believe it is a crucial part of the state's history. . The last time the state considered changing the flag was in 2001. However, 65% of voters chose to keep the flag with the Confederate symbol instead of changing to a flag with 20 white stars on a blue field to represent the state of Mississippi as the twentieth state.
Several cities and public universities, including the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, have stopped raising the controversial state flag.
Mississippi state Rep. Christopher Bell, a Democrat who is spearheading recent efforts to change the flag, said he and Republican state Rep. Missy McGee formulated the idea together.
"Basically (we) walked side by side in the hallway and started the conversation, and we got down to work trying to form a small bipartisan group of people to try to make a special resolution to change this flag," Bell said. . CNN has reached out to Gunn and McGee for comment.
Johnson believes that economic and social pressures have spurred Republican lawmakers in this latest effort.
"I think they started to be ashamed of it. It is affecting our economy, "he added. "I think people are reluctant to do business with a state that continues to wave that flag."
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican, told reporters Wednesday that he would not support state lawmakers if they decide to change the flag. Instead, he wants the people of Mississippi to have the last word.
"I think at some point people will want to change the flag, but it must be done by a vote of the people, not by a vote of the politicians making a secret deal in Jackson," Reeves said, referring to the state capital.
He added: "I think if we are going to have real change in our state, we have to deal with the flag issue so that all Mississippians can join in the end, reunite each other with whatever decisions are made and work together to make a better Mississippi. "
- CNN's Caroline Kenny contributed to this report.
Confederate flag