Today marks one year since retirement of former Mississippi state flag

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, center, and House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, listen as Reuben Anderson, chairman of the board of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, speaks about the retired Mississippi state flag during its retirement ceremony at Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, July 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

by: Kaitlin Howell

Posted: Jul 1, 2021 / 01:38 PM AST

Updated: Jul 1, 2021 / 01:38 PM AST

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JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – One year ago, the former Mississippi state flag was retired. Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn presented the former state flag to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH).

Last year, Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill to remove the flag, which featured the Confederate battle emblem.

In November 2020, Mississippians voted in favor on a new state flag that features the magnolia flower.

The flag was designed by Rocky Vaughan, with design support provided by Sue Anna Joe, Kara Giles, and Dominique Pugh. The design features a white magnolia on a blue banner with red and gold bars on each end. The magnolia is encircled by twenty five-point stars, plus a star representing indigenous Native Americans, and the words “In God We Trust.”