Reeves makes it official: Mississippi has a new state flag

Calling the old state flag a “prominent roadblock to unity,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed the final ratification required to adopt a new state flag Monday, replacing the former flag that carried an emblem of the Confederacy.

“When many looked at our former flag, they just saw a symbol of the state and heritage they loved,” he said Monday before signing the bill. “But many felt dismissed and violated because of that flag. That is not a firm foundation for our state.”

“We commit our former flag to history, and we commit ourselves to the business of the future,” he added.

After signing the bill in a formal ceremony at the Two Mississippi Museums, the ceremony moved to the Mississippi State Capitol where the new flag was raised in front of the building for the first time.