Mississippi State Flag of 1894 Amendment, Initiative 54 (2018)
| Mississippi Initiative 54: State Flag of 1894 Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Motto and symbols | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
Mississippi Initiative 54, the State Flag of 1894 Amendment, was not on the ballot in Mississippi as an indirect initiated constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.
The measure was designed to amend the Mississippi Constitution to recognize the flag adopted by the legislature of 1894, which was the current flag as of August 2017, as the official state flag of Mississippi.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The proposed ballot title was:[1]
| “ | Should the current State Flag be adopted by constitutional amendment?”[2] | ” |
Ballot summary
The proposed ballot summary was:[1]
| “ | Initiative No. 54 proposes to amend the Mississippi Constitution to recognize that the State Flag of Mississippi is and shall be the flag adopted by the Legislature of 1894 and used continuously since then. Any proposed amendment to the State Flag of Mississippi shall conform to the provisions of the amendment process found in Section 273 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, as proposed by the Legislature or by initiative of the people.[2] | ” |
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."[3]
Support
Supporters
- Jeppie Barbour (a brother of Republican former Gov. Haley Barbour)[4]
- Greg Stewart (administrator of Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library)
- Kitsaa Jon Stevens (Gulfport, Miss., resident who filed the petition)
- State Sen. Melanie Sojourner
Arguments in favor of flag
State Sen. Melanie Sojourner said:[5]
| “ | The flag was no more the 'source' of horrible acts against mankind than a gun is the 'source' of someone's death. The 'source' is the hatred and evil that resides in the hearts of some who live and have lived among us. Simply placing the blame on something that some see as a symbol only perpetuates the problem.[2] | ” |
After a July 2015 rally to keep the 1894 state flag, supporter Jeppie Barbour told reporters:[4]
| “ | They were fighting for the freedom of the South not to get bossed around by a bunch of Yankees.[2] | ” |
Speaking on behalf of American Legion Post 1992, Commander Bill Whatley said:[6]
| “ | Our American Legion owns that flag and the other flags at the tower. We maintain the site and the current state flag is the only one we have. It is our official flag, one under which our veterans have served.[2] | ” |
At a July 2015 pro-Confederate flag rally in Florida, event organizer David Stone said:[7]
| “ | That flag has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people. It doesn't symbolize hate unless you think it's hate - and that's your problem, not mine.[2] | ” |
Opposition
In a full-page paid ad in The Clarion-Ledger, a number of Mississippians signed a letter called "A Flag for All of US," asking the state to change the flag. Read the full letter and see who signed it here.
Opponents
Elected officials
- State House Speaker Philip Gunn
- U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran[6]
- U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker[6]
- Congressman Bennie Thompson[6]
- State Sen. John Horhn
- State Sen. David Jordan
Individuals
- Singer Jimmy Buffet
- Author John Grisham
- Actor Morgan Freeman
- Quarterback Archie Manning
- Former Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale
- Mississippi business leader Jack Reed Sr.
- Former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson
- Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford
- Grammy-winning producer Glen Ballard
- Basketball Hall of Famer Bailey Howell
- Former Gov. William Winter
- Baseball legend Boo Ferriss
- Author Greg Iles
- The Help author Kathryn Stockett
Arguments against
State House Speaker Philip Gunn said in a statement:[5]
| “ | We must always remember our past, but that does not mean we must let it define us. As a Christian, I believe our state's flag has become a point of offense that needs to be removed. We need to begin having conversations about changing Mississippi's flag.[2] | ” |
Country artist Steve Earle released a song in mid-September, "It's Time, Mississippi," to ask the state to change the flag. He stated:[8]
| “ | I know that I'm not the only Southerner who never believed for one second that the Confederate battle flag is symbolic of anything but racism in anything like a modern context.[2] | ” |
State Sen. John Horhn said:[5]
| “ | The tide is turning with business leadership saying it hurts our ability to recruit corporations and with coaches saying it hurts our ability to recruit athletes. The flag is a turnoff.[2] | ” |
State Sen. David Jordan stated:[5]
| “ | There were 4 million African-American slaves under this (Confederate) flag. To us, it's just as bad as the swastika.[2] | ” |
Author Greg Iles said:[5]
| “ | Think of America in 1931 and then in 1945—that's 14 years, and a tectonic shift in national identity. Think of 1961 and 1975. The Confederate flag is no longer a viable state or national symbol in 2015. ...Clinging to the past through symbols is hurting Mississippi now. And it has the potential to cripple economic development going forward.[2] | ” |
Gautier, Miss., resident Emilie Hall said of the current flag in use:[6]
| “ | It offends many citizens and me. It stands for hate, racism and fear. It is being used by domestic terrorists in this country. It is time we stop this and come into the 21st century.[2] | ” |
Path to the ballot
Gulfport, Miss., resident Kitsaa Jon Stevens filed the petition, and it received a title and summary. Proponents were critical of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood's initiative summary rewrite—which referred to the flag in use as the current flag, while supporters want it referred to as the 1894 flag. If lawmakers changed the flag before Mississippi residents voted on Initiative 54 on the ballot next year, the term current flag could had referred to the changed flag, versus the flag adopted in 1894. This would have had the opposite effect of what Initiative 54 supporters wanted.[9]
Proponents challenged the summary in Hinds County Circuit Court, and the judge ruled in favor of the attorney general. Paul Barnes, special assistant to the attorney general, said that the office's rewrite was "absolutely truthful, impartial and not likely to confuse the voters." Initiative 54 supporter Greg Stewart said proponents had filed two similar measures in hopes that the attorney general would accept using the phrase 1894 flag to refer to the flag in use.[9]
In late October, supporters said they were unhappy with Hood's ballot title for the third time. "If we get stuck with 'current' in the ballot title and there's a different flag before 2018, the confusion caused by that can be laid squarely at the [attorney general]'s feet," Stewart said. Hood said his office was not attempting to confuse voters. "We're just doing the best we can with 20 words," he said.[10]
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 53 expired without supporters submitting any signatures.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mississippi Secretary of State, "The State Flag of Mississippi," accessed December 3, 2015
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Time, “Why Mississippi Is Unlikely to Redesign Its State Flag,” June 23, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Elkhart Truth, “Mississippi flag supporters rally outside state Capitol,” July 6, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 The Clarion-Ledger, "Notable Mississippians join chorus to change state flag," August 17, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 GulfLive.com, "Gautier supports call for new state flag, but votes to keep state flag flying for now," September 1, 2015
- ↑ Reuters, "Confederate flag supporters rise up to defend embattled symbol,” July 12, 2015
- ↑ USA Today, "Country star wants Mississippi flag changed," September 11, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Associated Press, "Proposal to keep Confederate symbol on Mississippi flag will die, but there are plans for more," September 9, 2015
- ↑ GulfLive.com, "Mississippi flag supporters criticize ballot summary," October 22, 2015
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