Since the shooting in South Carolina and the debate that followed it, many influential voices in Lafayette County have spoken for the removal of the Confederate symbol from the Mississippi flag.
The murders of nine men and women in a Charleston church on June 17 resulted in the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina capitol on July 10 and sparked national conversation on the symbol’s nature.
Some have spoken to the offensive nature of the flag, saying it represents a South that fought to preserve slavery, while others say that it is a symbol of regional heritage.
Oxford Mayor Pat Patterson said he was in favor of the removal of the Confederate symbol.
“I think it’s time to change the flag,” Patterson said. “When 40 percent of your population is offended or concerned by it, let’s get a flag that represents everybody.”
Patterson said he wanted a flag in which Mississippians could take pride.
“(This) generation needs a symbol and a flag that they can be proud of, that they don’t have to try to explain,” Patterson said.
Patterson wrote an open letter to the public on June 24 following the South Carolina shooting in which he quoted Thomas Jefferson, saying, “I prefer the dreams of the future to the stories of the past.”
Patterson said in the letter changing the flag will not change individuals, “but it will let the rest of the world know that in this day and time we are concerned about how other people feel and how others view our state and what its current flag symbolizes.”
Sen. Gray Tollison, for district 9, said, if given the opportunity, he would choose to change the state flag “so it truly represents who we are as a state today. The current state flag does not reflect the progress Mississippi has made over the last 40 years.”
Rep. Brad Mayo for district 12, including Lafayette County, said he supported the return of Mississippi’s first flag.
“I think that choosing to adopt our state’s original flag— the Magnolia Flag— is the best choice for Mississippi,” Mayo said. “It is a unique flag that is a part of our state’s history.”
In this matter, Mayo, Patterson and Tollison join other Mississippi representatives such as Sen. Roger Wicker in their support of the flag’s redesign. However, there is a long road to an actual change.
“Any changes to the flag would have to be undertaken by the Legislature or by a petition to amend the state constitution,” Mayo said. “The Legislature, once in session, could choose to change it; put some choice(s) to a non-binding vote; or choose to not address the issue at all.”
The legislature is not scheduled to go back in session until next January, after elections this November.
After South Carolina removed the Confederate flag on July 10, Mississippi became the only state to remain under the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s postseason ban. This means Mississippi cannot host pre-selected championships because of the Confederate symbol on the state’s capitol ground.
Head football coach Hugh Freeze gave his opinion on the matter at the SEC media days last Thursday.
“I’m not a political figure, nor do I want to be,” Freeze said. “I’m sure our governor and the legislation will hear from the people. But in the world to which I live in, if something that is creating ill will in any way towards someone, it’s difficult for me to support that.”
