The time was now — Mississippi lawmakers did the right thing to vote to change our state flag.
I witnessed history on Sunday, June 28, when 37 Mississippi senators voted to pass House Bill 1796, which retired the state's 126-year-old flag that proudly bears the image of the Confederacy.
I watched many of these senators including John Horhn, D-Jackson, and Sen. Chad McMahan, R-Guntown, speak about their personal experiences and about the hundreds of calls and emails and social media messages they received from thousands of their constituents — many of whom they said encouraged them to vote to change the flag.
I also watched pro-flag Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, make an impassioned plea to let the people vote on whether to change the flag. He made a compelling argument that the people should be allowed to make this decision not lawmakers.
He seemed optimistic that Mississippians would vote for the removal of this decisive emblem of slavery, although voters overwhelmingly chose to keep the flag in 2001.
It’s possible that McDaniel is right.
But thanks to 91 state representatives and 37 senators, we will never know. And that’s a good thing. They understood that now is the time — time for Mississippi to take the bold step to change our flag.
Last Sunday, the nation and the world watched Mississippi. And I’m proud of what they saw. It won't eliminate the imagery of racism and hatred that the world envisions when they think of my beloved state, but it goes a long way toward painting a new, more beautiful picture.
As the world watched, I reflected on my journey as a Black woman who grew up poor in rural Mississippi yet beat the odds. I graduated from college and went on to have a successful career as a journalist. I am enjoying what I like to call my full-circle moment, as the editor of the state's largest newspaper.
But here’s a truth for you: It was extremely difficult to come home. Not because I ever forgot how beautiful this state and its people are, but because I believed that little had changed for Black Mississippians in the way of opportunities. I mean real opportunities, like equal education, living wage jobs, quality of life and justice.
Mississippi lost me in 1997 for the same reason it has lost so many college educated, young Black professionals. But there was another reason I decided to go — my then 3-year-old son.
I saw every day how hard life was for young Black men in Mississippi from watching the boys and men in my family struggle to eke out a living in this state.
I wanted to afford my son, Colton, opportunities that I didn’t believe he would get here. And more importantly, I wanted to raise him in an environment where his skin color wasn’t a determinant. How he saw himself and his opportunities were important to me.
That’s not to say that he didn’t face racism in Oregon and Ohio — he did. But I believe that the fine upstanding man he is today would have been challenged in other more negative ways had I stayed in the South.
Even in Ohio I had to explain to him that he couldn’t drive to school in the morning with his hoodie on his head because he might look suspicious and get stopped by police. My fear was real but to him it was senseless concern — it was freezing outside and his little car took a while to warm up. He was simply trying to stay warm for the mile drive to school. I was just trying to help him avoid the trouble of being stopped by the local police — a fear a lot of Black parents carry daily.
There was a ceremony Wednesday to retire the Mississippi flag. I’m sure there were tears of joy as we bid goodbye to this divisive emblem of our history. I’m sure there were also tears shed by those who want to cling to what they consider their heritage and history.
We cannot deny our history or take back our past, but we have to acknowledge the flag for what it was. It includes the Confederate battle flag in its design, flown and used by hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
No matter what side of history you stand on, I hope that you will look beyond the fabric of that flag and into your heart toward our future because our beloved state has a lot of work to do.
The truth is simply retiring the state the flag will not fix the poverty, health disparities, economic strife or violence that’s plaguing our state.
Spectators in the House and Senate cheered and applauded as lawmakers voted their way into history. Will you join them? One day, many years from now, a story will be told of Mississippi’s notable change in 2020. Have you decided which side of history you will stand on?
The Clarion Ledger will continue covering the steps toward a new flag including the appointment and work of the nine-member commission charged with drafting a new design, the public hearings and the Nov. 3 vote on the new design. I hope you will follow our coverage.
There is more work to be done to bring racial equality, better schools and a better quality of life for all Mississippians. But Sunday's vote was a giant step forward.
Mary Irby-Jones is the editor of the Clarion Ledger and Hattiesburg American. She can be reached at mirbyjones@gannett.com. Follow her onTwitter @mirbyj.
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Opinion: Mississippi flag vote is first of many needed changes in our state - Clarion Ledger
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