Lawmakers in the Mississippi Senate voted 37-14 Sunday to remove the Confederate battle standard -- often seen as a symbol of the United States' dark racial legacy -- from the state flag.
Democratic senator John Horhn said changing the flag would not solve the effects of the country's racist past. It is a big step, however, in the journey we are on to recognize everybody's God-given humanity and self-worth," he said.
The bill, which the House of Representatives had passed with a 91-23 majority vote earlier in the day, calls for a nine-member commission that would design a new flag that does not use the Confederate standard and does include the phrase "In God, We Trust."
The criss-crossed diagonal stars pattern was used by southern troops, including Mississippians, during the 1861-1865 American Civil War -- the bloody conflict that brought an end to slavery -- and for many it remains a symbol of the country's dark racial legacy.
"It is time for us to make the decision in 2020 as to what type of flag we are going to have to represent this state," said Republican senator Briggs Hopson, according to the local ABC affiliate.