Resolution of Continued Support for a New Flag for the State of Mississippi

WHEREAS, some Mississippians and Confederate preservationists rallied the Mississippi State Flag Commission, the Governor and the Legislature to "let the people decide" whether to retain the current divisive and racially denigrating State Flag of 1894 or to replace it with a flag more sensitive to all cultural heritages of its citizenry; and

WHEREAS, Mississippi's Legislature and Governor ignored the state's historical defiance to racial intolerance and adhered to the racial majority's rallying cries for a statewide vote, despite the objections of an obviously outnumbered racial minority to settle the racial issue; and

WHEREAS, the State Flag Vote Referendum passed by a 64.39% to 35.61% margin in favor of retaining the tyrannical confederate symbol of slavery and white supremacy incorporated into the state's flag. These numbers were almost precisely down racial lines and reasserted Mississippi's heinous reputation as the most racist state in the nation; and

WHEREAS, the Journal of the State Convention of 1861 (pp.86-88) clearly delineates the institution of slavery as the underlying factor in their Declaration of Causes of Seceding States from the United States of America, a treasonous action; and

WHEREAS, some Mississippians further seek to petition the Legislature and Governor to amend the State's Constitution to give official status to the flag that incorporates the racially repugnant confederate symbol.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP reaffirm its 1999 and 2000 resolutions condemning the displaying of the confederate battle flag or confederate battle emblem. The NAACP further calls for the immediate removal of the confederate battle flag and/or the confederate battle emblem(s) from any and all public sites in the United States, excluding historical museums; and opposing the validation of the April 17, 2001 referendum vote retaining the confederate flag.