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| - Mississippi's flag, the last US state banner to feature a Confederate emblem, was permanently retired Wednesday when it was lowered from the state's capitol and removed from the grounds. An honor guard lowered three state flags that flew over the capitol property, folded them and presented them to state officials who drove them via formal motorcade towards a nearby museum, where the 126-year-old standard will be relegated to history. The move comes one day after Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill ordering the rebel-themed flag's removal, which comes in the wake of coast-to-coast protests over the police killing of African American George Floyd in May. "Today we come to terms with our past, and we look to our future," Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn, who was instrumental in the effort to remove the flag, said at a ceremony after it was lowered. "We have much to be proud of, and much to reckon with, he said, adding that for some Mississippians, the flag has "been a shadow over their struggle to be free." The Confederate flag served as a banner for the Confederacy, a collection of southern US states which seceded from the union in 1860 in a bid to preserve their right to own slaves. Many African Americans believe the flag carries racist connotations, while white southerners argue it is a symbol of Southern heritage. A commission has been tasked with selecting a new design for the new state flag, which must be emblazoned with the words "In God We Trust." Mississippi state Senator John Horhn, who is black, said he "shed a few tears" as the flag was lowered. "I think it's a great day for Mississippi and it opens up a whole new chapter in the life of Mississippi and its people," the lawmaker told WLBT television. He said the demonstrations inspired by Floyd's killing "had a tremendous impact" on the effort to remove the old flag. The ongoing movement for racial justice has also prompted the removal of statues of Confederate figures, either formally removed by local governments or forcibly toppled by protesters. mlm/st
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