JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi residents who want a state flag without the Confederate battle emblem now can display one on their license plate.
Gov. Phil Bryant signed a specialty license plates bill Tuesday. One features a proposed state flag designed by Jackson artist Laurin Stennis.
The cost of the specialty license plate is $30 and can be purchased starting July 1, 2019.
The license plate is optional for Mississippi residents and legislators have not changed the actual flag that’s the last in the U.S. with the Confederate emblem, although some have pushed for the “Stennis flag.”
Stennis says it represents unity. It has red vertical bars on each side and a white center with large blue star encircled by 19 smaller ones, representing Mississippi as the 20th state.
“I think those are wonderful colors and the symbolism is meaningful, but also this is a strong standalone but when you pair it with the United States flag they make a handsome couple,” said Stennis.
She is the granddaughter of the late U.S. John C. Stennis, who served 41 years before retiring in 1989 and was a segregationist much of his career. He died in 1995.
Stennis had some help producing the flags with Complete Flag Source. To date, well over 2,000 Stennis flags have been sold.
