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Mississippi legislature votes to replace state flag that includes Confederate elements

Gov. Tate Reeves says he will sign bill
Mississippi legislature votes to replace state flag that includes Confederate elements
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JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi legislators have voted to remove a Confederate battle emblem from their state flag.

Mississippi’s House and Senate voted Sunday to retire the flag adopted in 1894. It's the last state flag that includes a Confederate symbol that many people condemn as racist.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has said he will sign the bill.

The change comes amid widespread protests over racial injustice. Mississippi has a 38% Black population.

A commission would design a new flag that cannot include the Confederate symbol but must have the words “In God We Trust.”

Voters will be asked to approve the new design in the Nov. 3 election.