Mississippi Flag Unlikely To Change This Year

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The Confederate battle emblem still waves on the Mississippi flag and appears in little danger of being erased anytime soon.

Legislators have filed bills that propose to either change the flag that has been used since 1894 or punish schools and other public entities that refuse to fly it.

Leaders say there’s little chance any bill will survive because there’s no consensus about what to do.

Critics say the flag symbolizes slavery and segregation and tarnishes a state with a 38 percent black population. Supporters say the flag represents history and heritage.

The public display of Confederate symbols has come under increased scrutiny since the 2015 slaying of nine black worshippers at a South Carolina church by a white man who had posed for photos with the Confederate battle flag.