By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
Ross Dellenger, writing for Sports Illustrated, on June 24, 2020, quoted then-Speaker Philip Gunn, talking about changing the Mississippi State Flag and the impact of various entities. “The NCAA’s announcement made this a higher priority. People are waking up and realizing that there is real consequence here. Many people don’t care what the NCAA thinks, but it’s not just about sports. It’s about business. It’s not just about playing a game – it’s about economics and image.”
While we are grateful that the divisive stars and bars have been removed from our state flag, banished after 126 years of flying over our state. That flag, referred to as the 1894 state flag, waved ironclad indignity in the faces of the largest African-American population in the country – a population predominantly made up of descendants of slaves – was a banner of white supremacy, and a depressing number of Mississippians didn’t want it to go. For those folks it was a proud symbol of their heritage.
Did you catch all the words in ole Philip Gunn’s quote above? He said, “people are waking up,” my my – he didn’t say white people are waking up of course, but that’s who he was talking about. It’s never been the African-American people in Mississippi that need to wake up. Even in the legislature, as the three bills around the flag passed, 100% of Democrats voted Yes, each time, unlike Republicans whose votes were all over the place – but fortunately got woke enough.
History will surely remember those who maintained their steadfast opposition to change, knowing full and well the price that African Americans had been paying, and who even when aware of the deeply softened “economics and image” argument, stayed planted in yesterday.
We know the change in the state flag did not occur because of a moral awakening on the part of our majority-white legislators. Sure, there was talk by some along the way of not wanting to explain the oppression to their grandchildren one day, but there is far more to the story. Go back to former Speaker Gunn’s words, “People are waking up and realizing that there is real consequence here… but it’s not just about sports. It’s about business. It’s not just about playing a game – it’s about economics and image.” Those schools that host championship games stood to lose millions upon millions, let alone the businesses in those cities, and the cities themselves through taxes. Economics! And then there we would be, poor Mississippi, the only state unable to host championships – sticking out as a backward loser yet again. Image!
Through intense and multi-pronged economic and image pressure, the flag got changed, but not because it was the right thing to do or even because the voters had already signaled it was past due for change. As pressure intensified, many seemed to put their Confederate pride on the shelf in favor of economics and image. By doing so, it provided cover for others to join them. It just made it through. Thank you, Lord.
Seeing the University of Mississippi’s nickname change would be a great next step. Words like Ole and Dixie translate to something in our minds. Those words are not for all people.
Let’s look at a few examples that can give us insight into these issues of economics and image. In the April 15, 2024, Senate Finance Committee meeting at the Mississippi Capitol, there was discussion of where the new Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) warehouse would be located. Someone had added language that it be at least 70 miles from the Capital City of Jackson. Senator Hob Bryan, a long-serving Democrat from District 7 (Itawamba, Lee and Monroe counties), said, “…..when we locate a thing, we have an opportunity to locate the thing in an area that will improve the area…the area is in economic decline and it would help Jackson to have some stuff there, and it seems to me once again where we could locate something in a place where it could have a positive economic impact on the Capital City we are making sure it can get farther and farther away.” No objections were heard on the YouTube video recording.
In a recent email to supporters, The Mississippi Center for Justice CEO Vangela Wade, who is stepping down after four years, having indicated that she has accomplished what she set out to accomplish, added a quote from one of MCJ’s founding donors, “As long as there is a Mississippi, there will be a need for the Mississippi Center for Justice.” Wow, what more can we say about the truthful image of Mississippi?
A recent report by CNN on Hurricane Helene’s destruction – specifically in Erwin, Tennessee where the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations that Impact Plastics, didn’t allow workers to leave as flood waters rose to waist-level. Eleven workers were swept away. Two are confirmed dead, four are missing, and five were rescued. Both confirmed dead were Mexican, per CNN, whose reporter Gustavo Valdes spoke to Erwin Mayor Glen White, who shared in part, “What we want to tell our Hispanic citizens is that they are part of us, we are one people and we love them, and our country’s motto is – out of many, come one – and that is exactly what I’m trying to do as mayor.”
Can your mind even imagine a white Mayor in Mississippi saying those words?
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