A week after University of Mississippi student leaders voted overwhelmingly to remove the state flag from campus, it was taken down during a ceremony on Monday, according to CNN.
Long a symbol of the racist Confederacy, which is deeply entrenched in the history of Mississippi, the flag was lowered by campus police during an unannounced ceremony. It will be “preserved in the University Archives along with resolutions from students, faculty and staff calling for its removal,” officials said in a statement to the news outlet.
Per CNN:
The move comes after student senators voted 33-15 with one abstention last week to ask the school administration to furl the banner, which includes the Confederate battle emblem in its upper left corner.
Allen Coon, a student senator and president of the College Democrats who was at the forefront of the fight to take down the flag, told CNN he was surprised and elated by the decision.
“They didn’t announce anything. They did it early this morning,” he said. “The leadership acted swiftly, and despite the opposition from the governor, who two days ago said college students act emotionally, they took it down. It’s exciting.”
We’re glad the university removed the flag. We’re just sorry that it took so long.
SOURCE: CNN | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty | VIDEO CREDIT: Inform
Ole Miss Finally Removes State Flag With Racist Confederate Battle Emblem was originally published on newsone.com
