Mississippi Removes Confederate Emblem from State Flag, Last State to Do So

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed legislation on June 30, 2020, replacing the state flag, which had incorporated the Confederate battle emblem since 1894. Mississippi was the last state with a Confederate emblem on its flag. The change came after decades of failed attempts and was precipitated by the George Floyd protests and pressure from business groups, the SEC, and the NCAA threatening to withdraw events. The new flag features a magnolia. The change was significant symbolically but critics noted Mississippi continued to have among the highest rates of poverty, incarceration, and infant mortality for Black residents of any state.