He’s basically just putting more pressure on government officials to make a change, or else Oxford and Starkville take some collateral damage. Of course Ole Miss and MSU have no decision making power when it comes to a governmental matter, and some people seem annoyed that Sankey (a New York native) is inserting himself into a socio-political issue as an outsider who works in collegiate sports. Mississippi State is also on record saying that they’d like to see the flag changed. Ole Miss came out in support of the statement, noting that they stopped flying the flag over campus back in 2015. Statement from Commissioner on State of Mississippi flag /BR5Ei1l17X “I emphasized that it is time for a renewed, respectful debate on this issue.In the latest development stemming from the George Floyd protests and demonstrations, we have the Southeastern Conference commissioner wading into the dispute over Mississippi’s state flag, which contains the confederate stars and bars: “The letter said, in part, that our flag should be unifying, not a symbol that divides us,” Keenum said.
Keenum said he wrote to state elected officials June 12 telling them that the university’s students, faculty and administrators have been on record in favor of changing the flag since 2015. Keenum said in a statement that he respects Sankey’s position. “We support the SEC’s position for changing the Mississippi state flag to an image that is more welcoming and inclusive for all people.”
“Mississippi needs a flag that represents the qualities about our state that unite us, not those that still divide us,” Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce and athletic director Keith Carter said in a joint statement.
Leaders at both universities said Thursday that the state should change the flag. The state has two SEC schools - the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University. People who voted in a 2001 election chose to keep the flag rather that replace it with a design that did not include the Confederate emblem.Īll of Mississippi’s public universities and several cities and counties have stopped flying the state flag in recent years because of the emblem. Tate Reeves has said repeatedly that if the banner is to be redesigned, it should be done by the state’s voters. White supremacists put the symbol on the flag in 1894 during the backlash to black political power that developed during Reconstruction.ĭuring a Black Lives Matter protest June 5 outside the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion in downtown Jackson, thousands of people cheered as an 18-year-old organizer, Maisie Brown, called for the removal of all Confederate symbols in the state, including from the flag.īipartisan coalitions of state lawmakers have been trying to build momentum to change the flag, but Republican Gov. Mississippihas the last state flag that includes the battle emblem: a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. Greg Sankey, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, said in a statement on Thursday evening that the conference would consider banning championship events in Mississippi until the state changes its state flag, which contains the Confederate battle emblem. National protests about racial injustice have renewed debate about Confederate symbols. The NCAA has already said it would not schedule postseason events in Mississippi because of the state flag. In the event there is no change, there will be consideration of precluding Southeastern Conference championship events from being conducted in the State of Mississippi until the flag is changed.” “Our students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all. “It is past time for change to be made to the flag of the State of Mississippi,” Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement Thursday. The Southeastern Conference is considering barring league championship events in Mississippi unless the state changes its Confederate-based flag.
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