Mississippi voters decided in an overwhelming majority to approve a new state flag design in Tuesday’s election. The decision to remove the flag came in the wake of nationwide protests following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others due to police violence earlier this year.
The state legislature voted to remove the former state flag which included the Confederate battle flag in its design in late June.
After fielding many designs from Mississippians, the state legislature narrowed their choice to two flags and eventually chose to place the “In God We Trust Flag” on the ballot for voters to approve or deny.
The new flag design features a large magnolia flower in the center surrounded by 21 stars. Under the flower are the words “In God We Trust.” The flag became one of the most popular of the proposed designs before the legislature decided to put it on the ballot.
A referendum was placed on the ballot in 2001 for Mississippians to replace the state flag, but the former flag gained the majority of the vote to stay in place.
The university has not flown the state flag on campus since 2015.
