Mississippi Flag Change — Celebrities And Prominent Citizens Rally To Rid The State Flag Of Confederate Battle Emblem

The Mississippi flag may soon undergo a fundamental change thanks to a large number of prominent celebrity citizens rallying to alter its design and remove the controversial Confederate battle emblem.

Prominent natives, including quarterback Archie Manning, singer Jimmy Buffett, noted novelist John Grisham, and acclaimed veteran actor Morgan Freeman are among the famous current and former Mississippi residents who have spearheaded a movement to get rid of the controversial Confederate battle emblem from the state flag of Mississippi.

“A Flag for All of Us” was a full-page advertisement that appeared in Sunday’s edition of the Clarion-Ledger, that has the support of a total of 60 notable citizens apart from the celebrity musician, author, actor, and athlete. The ad appealed to the citizenry to seriously consider supporting the removal of the Confederate battle emblem from the Mississippi flag.

“It is simply not fair, or honorable, to ask black Mississippians to attend schools, compete in athletic events, work in the public sector, serve in the National Guard, and go about their normal lives with a state flag that glorifies a war fought to keep their ancestors enslaved.”

Apart from the aforementioned famous people, others who have lent their support to the movement include “The Help” author Kathryn Stockett, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson, Grammy-winning producer Glen Ballard, former Gov. William Winter, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford, baseball legend Boo Ferriss, Basketball Hall of Famer Bailey Howell, and many others, reported MSN.

Speaking about the need to remove the Confederate battle emblem, University of Mississippi football coach Hugh Freeze, who also signed the appeal, according to USA Today, said as follows.

“I’m a Mississippian. No one understands the pride of the people and the heritage of that state any better than I do. While I’m not a political figure, that symbol [the Confederate flag] has been hijacked by groups that have meant ill will toward other people. I think it’s time we move in a different direction with the state flag.”

Interestingly, while the Confederate battle emblem has indeed taken on quite a negative image and people have started to demand its take-down, quite a few celebrity musicians prominently display the symbol, pointed out Greg Stewart, administrator of Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library.

“Rap and hip-hop artists use the [Confederate battle] flag so that kind of sucks the wind out of the ‘offensive’ argument.”

Quite a few commercial and educational establishments have begun removing any traces of the Confederate battle emblem. Will the state of Mississippi, too, follow suit?

[Image Credit: William Colgin / Getty Images]