Jackson Protest Calls For Flag Change

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Protesters are calling on Mississippi to erase the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag.

During a Capitol news conference Monday, Jackson attorney Chokwe Antar Lumumba says the flag represents the “noose South” and embodies hatred.

Actress Aunjanue Ellis, who has family ties to Mississippi and starred in “The Help,” says she won’t work in the state until the flag is changed. She says her production company is canceling plans to make a movie in the state because of the flag.

Debate over Confederate symbols reignited after the June 17 massacre of nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Some Mississippi leaders say the state flag should change, while others say the issue was settled by a 2001 election, when voters chose to keep the Confederate X.