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Mississippi to remove Confederate emblem from state flag

Bernard Weil / Toronto Star / Getty

Mississippi's House of Representatives and Senate voted Sunday to remove the Confederate emblem from its state flag, according to ESPN.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has said he will sign the bill into law, at which point the current state flag will lose its official status while a replacement is designed. Voters will be asked to approve or reject a new design during the U.S. general election on Nov. 3.

The votes follow widespread pressure over the past month to remove ties to the Confederacy.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey threatened earlier in June to prevent Mississippi from hosting conference championship events until the state changed its flag.

One day later, the NCAA prohibited championships of any kind from taking place in any state where the Confederate symbol "has a prominent presence." Mississippi's state flag is the only one that still features any acknowledgment of the Confederacy.

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin and Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach were both among multiple school coaches and administrators who lobbied the government to make the change. Ole Miss removed the state flag from its campus five years ago.

NASCAR opted earlier in June to ban Confederate flags at races in part due to concerns raised by Bubba Wallace, the sport's only active Black driver.

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