University of Mississippi removes state flag with Confederate emblem
JACKSON, Miss. — The University of Mississippi has stopped flying the state flag on its Oxford campus because the banner contains the Confederate battle emblem that some see as a painful reminder of slavery and segregation.
Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks ordered the flag lowered Monday morning.
The action came days after the student senate and other groups adopted a student-led resolution calling for removal of the banner from campus.
Since 1894, the Mississippi flag has had the Confederate battle emblem in the upper left corner — a blue X with 13 white stars, over a field of red. Residents chose to keep the flag during a 2001 statewide vote.
The public display of Confederate symbols has been widely debated since the June massacre of nine black worshippers at a church in South Carolina.
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