Mississippi State University President Dr. Mark Keenum issued a statement Thursday calling for Mississippi to debate whether the state should change its flag.
“Flags should unite us and bring us together, not divide us,” Keenum said. “The tragic events in South Carolina and the evolving national debate over the state flag is a debate that should take place today in Mississippi.”
In April 2001, Mississippi voters rejected a proposal to change the state’s flag to remove the Confederate flag from its canton by an almost 2-to-1 margin.
Keenum referenced an earlier vote, however, to supports his argument.
On Feb. 9, 2001, two months before the state-wide vote, the MSU faculty senate voted 26-0 with five abstentions to support the proposed alternative flag offered as a choice for voters.
“In 2001, the Mississippi State University Faculty Senate voted overwhelmingly in support of changing the state flag of Mississippi prior to the failed statewide voter referendum on that question,” Keenum said. “I have seen no indication that attitudes have changed on that question on our campus.”
Keenum’s statement noted MSU’s high percentage of black students, as well as negative consequences associated with the current state flag. The NCAA — the governing body of major college athletics — has a policy that prohibits states which have given official status to Confederate symbols from serving as pre-selected sites for NCAA championship events.
The NCAA is expected to lift that ban in South Carolina after its state legislature voted to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol. With that move, Mississippi is now the only state for whom that NCAA restriction still applies.
“As the university with the highest percentage African American enrollment in the Southeastern Conference, this debate is relevant and important to us,” Keenum’s statement said. “Finally, MSU would certainly prefer the opportunity to host NCAA championships on behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and university community. Since 1963 and the ‘Game of Change’ with Loyola in the NCAA basketball tournament, MSU has been unequivocal in our support for fair and inclusive competition.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.