Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesIn light of the Memorial Day death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests against racism and police brutality that have been taking place across the U.S. and the world, many have been lobbying to eradicate Confederate statues and other symbols of the country’s history of slavery.
Now, Faith Hill is weighing in on a controversy playing out in her home state of Mississippi. The country star took to Twitter this week to call for a change to the state flag, which bears the Confederate battle flag emblem.
“I am a proud MS girl and I love my home state,” the singer wrote. “When I think of Mississippi, I think of my mom and dad, the church I grew up in, high school football and where I fell in love with music.”
“I understand many view the current flag as a symbol of heritage and Southern pride, but we have to realize that this flag is a direct symbol of terror for our Black brothers and sisters,” Faith pointed out.
She also called for Mississippi lawmakers to vote to remove the emblem this Friday, an opinion that Jackson, Mississippi mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba echoed in a recent interview.
“…I’d like to see the leadership take up the mantle and take it down immediately,” he said.
The Confederate ‘stars and bars’ became part of Mississippi’s flag in 1894. It’s the last state flag that still displays the emblem, which is widely viewed as racist due to its ties to slavery and its use by groups supporting white supremacy.
Faith isn’t the only one re-thinking the symbols around her in light of the civil rights movement. Lady A dropped ‘Antebellum’ from their name recently, and the Dixie Chicks also shortened their name to The Chicks.
By Carena Liptak
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