A rally to demonstrate support for the removal of all confederate battle emblems on the flag of Mississippi amassed hundreds of participants on Sunday, Oct. 11. Supporters of the flag say that it is a sign of their history, and critics view it as a reminder of segregation and slavery, according to The Associated Press.
Dylann Roof, the domestic terrorist responsible for the murder of nine African Americans in a Charleston, S.C. church, has caused many people to rethink the public display of the Confederate flag, after it was noted that the teen was an avid supporter of the flag. "It is a new South. The economic development opportunities that Mississippi is missing out on - you don't even know it - but it's costing all citizens jobs," Republican State Rep. Jenny Horne of South Carolina said. The Republican speaker of the House and both Republican U.S. senators for the state said - following the massacre in Charleston - that Mississippi should use a flag that could unify the state.
Musician David Banner and civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams attended Sunday's event in Jackson, organizers said, according to WAPT TV. "What was the Civil War fought over?" Banner said. "Be honest. Slavery," Banner explained stating his reasoning for the necessary removal of the flag. In a 2001 referendum, the majority of Mississippi residents voted against a new flag without confederate battle emblems, according to The Political Ledger.
