Mississippi Remove Confederate References from State Flag Act, Initiative 55 (2018)
| Mississippi Initiative 55: Remove Confederate References from State Flag Act | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Motto and symbols | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
Mississippi Initiative 55, the Remove Confederate References from State Flag Act, was not on the ballot in Mississippi as an indirect initiated constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.
The measure was designed to add language to the state constitution that states, "The flag of the State of Mississippi shall not contain or include any reference to the Confederate army's battle flag or to the Confederacy."[1]
Three other filed initiatives, Initiative 54, Initiative 56 and Initiative 58, were designed to constitutionalize the flag adopted by the legislature in 1894. These initiatives would have required the flag to feature a rendition of the Confederate battle flag.
Background
The Mississippi state flag was adopted by the state legislature in 1894. The emblem on the left side of the 1894 flag included a rendition of the Confederate battle flag.
In 2001, the Mississippi Economic Council, or MEC, led the unsuccessful Mississippi Flag Referendum to change the state flag. Nearly two-thirds of voters rejected a new flag design without the Confederate emblem and instead chose to keep the 1894 flag. The council's CEO Blake Wilson said that from a business perspective it did not make sense to introduce a product that "made 38% of your market uncomfortable," referring to the state's African-American population. “It was a no-brainer from our perspective," Wilson said, "but we probably misjudged the ability for business to influence the general public. The people in Mississippi were not ready to take that step."[2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The proposed ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ | Should the Confederate battle flag or any references to the Confederacy be removed from the State Flag?[3] | ” |
Ballot summary
The proposed ballot summary was as follows:[1]
| “ | Initiative Measure No. 55 proposes to add the following language to the Mississippi Constitution: "The flag of the State of Mississippi shall not contain or include any reference to the Confederate army's battle flag or to the Confederacy." As an enforcement mechanism, a Mississippi citizen may petition the Mississippi Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus requiring the State, its political subdivisions, their agents, officers, or employees to comply with the amendment.[3] | ” |
Sponsors
Sharon C. Brown sponsored the initiative.[1]
Arguments in favor
Pastor Willie Jones, president of East Mississippi Baptist State Convention, said:[4]
| “ | We stand strong in our convictions that longstanding symbols of racial hatred and oppression have no place in a flag that is supposed to represent all families who call Mississippi home. By removing the Confederate symbol once and for all from the flag, our hope and goal is to help bring healing across this state and encourage reconciliation across enduring racial and class barriers.[3] | ” |
Pastor Melvin Montgomery of Faith & Grace Missionary Baptist Church argued:[4]
| “ | As Christians, we are called to draw our identity and self-worth from Jesus Christ, our Savior who came to set the captives free and proclaim liberty to every human being, regardless of our race, class or gender. When our sons and daughters look up to the state flag, we want them to see only hope and a bright future for their lives rather than a symbol from the past based on false racial superiority, intimidation and violence.[3] | ” |
Sharon Brown of the Flag For All Mississippians Coalition said:[4]
| “ | We’re truly excited to see momentum building for changing the flag and are pleased that ministers from across the state are with us in encouraging our state legislators to address this issue in the upcoming legislative session or by clearing a path for the people of Mississippi to have a clean vote on removing the Confederate emblem from our flag. If the legislature places the issue on the ballot then it should mirror the language being proposed in Initiative 55 and be a vote on whether to remove any reference to the Confederacy—and not a vote choosing between various flag designs.[3] | ” |
Path to the ballot
According to Mississippi law, the number of signatures collected must be equal to at least 12 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial general election. Based on the votes cast in the 2015 gubernatorial election, petitioners needed to collect at least 86,185 valid signatures in accordance with the state's distribution requirement in order to get the initiative on the ballot. An initiative can be circulated for one year before becoming invalid. Initiative 55 expired without supporters submitting any signatures.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mississippi Secretary of State, "The Flag for All Mississippians Act," accessed December 3, 2015
- ↑ Time, “Why Mississippi Is Unlikely to Redesign Its State Flag,” June 23, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 WDAM, "Faith leaders endorse Flag For All Mississippians Coalition," December 9, 2015
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State of Mississippi Jackson (capital) |
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