Video: Lawmakers Weigh in on Flag, Confederate Heritage Month

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JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) — Changing the state flag has been a hot topic in Mississippi for months.

Now the issue is getting even more heated, after Governor Phil Bryant declared April to be Confederate Heritage Month.

With all the controversy, what does this mean for the perception of Mississippi?

WCBI went to the state capitol for reaction from local lawmakers.

They seemed to be passionate about the causes, even though all the flag proposals died without debate.

“The emotions are so visceral both ways on that issue. I’m not sad that it didn’t come up,” said Rep. Steve Holland, (D) District 16.

Holland calls himself a liberal Democrat, but says he’s fine with the current state flag. Other reps? Not so much.

“I think something as divisive as the flag is something that needs to be addressed, because perception of Mississippi, I think, is solely based on the flag, and what the flag represents,” said Kabir Karriem, (D) District 41.

Some representatives believe the state flag and Confederate Heritage Month, are giving Mississippi a bad name, driving people and businesses away from the state.

“We need to think about what we do when we start talking about Confederate holidays,” said Rep. Tyrone Ellis, (D) District 38. “What’s the purpose of it? I mean, a Confederate Heritage Month? You want to celebrate all of the type of oppression, and the hanging of young black boys hanging from a tree? You want to celebrate that?”

However, Rep. Gary Chism doesn’t think these issues are keeping people from the Magnolia State.

“We’ve got the workforce. We give enough financial incentives. Joe Max Higgins [from the Golden Triangle Development LINK] hadn’t had any trouble with anybody saying that this is a great big problem for us,” said Chism, (R) District 37.

Chism says there’s nothing wrong with Confederate Heritage Month, because it’s history.

“You can’t run from your history,” Chism said. “We have Black History Month, the month of February, we ought to have Confederate History Month in April.”

But legislators say making a positive change, and helping Mississippi’s image, starts with a conversation.

“We have to be a state that is willing to progress and move along with the times,” Karriem said. “We’ve got to talk through those things that we can agree on. We have to sort those things out, and move forward.”

Although Holland says he’s open minded, he doesn’t think changing the flag will improve the perception of Mississippi.

“If I really, really, really, really, really could get convinced for example, that changing the flag would change something in the minds of people, I would do it, but I don’t think it will,” Holland said.