Mississippi town mayor fights back tears as he signs order to remove confederate flags

[demmiblue]

Laurel, Mississippi is home to a little over 18,000 people, more than 61% of whom are Black. On Tuesday, the town's mayor, Johnny Magee, issued a historic executive order to remove the state's flag from the City of Laurel government properties—a moment that moved him to tears.

In a state that once declared its official position as "thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery—the greatest material interest of the world," and listed as one of its reasons for joining the Confederacy the fact that the Union "advocates negro equality, socially and politically," the removal of a symbol of the fight to enslave Black people is a big deal. But the history of slavery is just the beginning. Mississippi was the most segregated state in the country in 1964, a full hundred years after slavery was abolished. Racism has always been rooted deeply in the history and culture of the state—including the state flag, which includes the battle flag of the Confederacy in its upper left corner.

The weight of that long history was visible in Mayor Magee's face as he tearfully sat for a full minute in front of the executive order to remove the flag. Instead of flying on government buildings in the town, the flags will be donated to the local library or other places that can keep them for posterity, according to the Laurel Leader-Call.

"Whereas through the ages, these banners have themselves grown to exemplify the traits that define the very fabric of the society they represent and have served as a means to unify, rally the spirit and passion of the citizens to one voice and purpose of the state, all of which demonstrates the significance given to these flag emblems," Magee read, according to the Laurel Leader-Call. "And whereas the current flag hovering above the State Capitol of the state of Mississippi was adopted as the state flag by the Mississippi Legislature in 1894, and the upper-left portion of this flag is often referred to as the Confederate battle flag."

https://www.upworthy.com/mississippi-mayor-fights-tears-before-removing-confederate-flag

Link to tweet

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[bobbieinok]

2. Noteworthy that Mayor Magee is black. Who in the 1960s could have believed that!

[BComplex]

7. Martin Luther King is one of the most important figures of my lifetime.

MLK and Nelson Mandela.

Icons of struggle and victory. I can't believe we're still having to fight these same battles against hatred and ignorance. I'm ready for a new day, a new world, of equality for all people.

Oppression has got to stop, at every level, on every continent. Starting with ours.

[nolabear]

10. Not as newsworthy now, thank goodness!

Black mayors abound in the South.

[Iggo]

26. They woulda had a conniption.

[Grey]

3. My heart goers out to the people of Laurel

and this good man. It's well past time.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. I was afraid from the headline that the mayor was white

and was weeping at the loss of his precious, treasonous heritage.

[Nevilledog]

5. That's what I was expecting.

[grantcart]

15. +1

[NightWatcher]

19. So glad that went that direction. I was nervous when I clicked

We're getting long overdue things done and its horribly wonderful.

[Karadeniz]

20. Me, too! I should've known better because Laurel is where the HGTV show Home Town is from

And on one show the mayor, AA, presented some honor to the home buyer.

[Aristus]

21. Me too.

I'm glad this was a joyous moment for him.

[Nay]

22. Me, too!! nt

[Mazeltov Cocktail]

23. Same here...

Not like that isn't happening over at NASCAR...
That said, what a beautiful and way overdue moment.

[Iggo]

27. Yeah, I read it with one eye closed.

[BComplex]

6. Saw this from Rick Wilson down thread of this awesome video of Mayor Magee.

I think Rick Wilson was talking about the poll earlier this week where fox "news" (propaganda) had trump like 12 points behind Biden in the polls.

Rick Wilson
@TheRickWilson
·
Jun 25
The Fox News Poll is about to go through some things.

[OKNancy]

8. I've come to know a little about the town. I watch an HGTV show

I watch "Home Town" on HGTV. It's set in Laurel. It looks like a lovely little town.

[guillaumeb]

9. The houses look very nice.

But it is Mississippi.

[nolabear]

13. Laurel is a very nice little town. There are lovely places in MS.

It’s always amazing to me that people who hold themselves to be liberal—and in most ways are—don’t recognize that there are many, MANY minorities in the Southern states, and more black people than anywhere else in the country. There are also a surprising number of liberal white people and blended families. Not blue skying the insanity at all, but it’s far more actually diverse than many places in terms of who lives there.

[electric_blue68]

24. I've know that since....

idk.... like since I was in my teens?

As a NYC'r, of course it's one of cities the
great migration(ers) headed to but by that time in
late '60's it had been a 15+ yrs after they'd arrived.

Also heard stories, umm, in late 90's onward about black people moving back South bc they were tired of the more hidden at face value Northern Racism. Down Sourh they at least knew what they were usually dealing with.

And I've known there are liberals in the South, too.
There's The Southern Poverty Law Center, for starters.

Anyway, I, also thought it was a racist white mayor (since I didn't know about Laurel ); I was getting ready to haul up the violin smilie.

How wonderful for him to see a visual trope of terrorism be removed!

[misanthrope]

28. There's an old phrase down here

"In the South, you can come closer but not as high. In the North, you can come higher but not as close."

My understanding is that its root was from those who found more daily interracial interactions Down South but no professional opportunities. Its polar opposite was the case in the North, that de facto segregation was more pervasive than imagined.

Because of the social acceptance of bigotry back then, Southern racists were free to self-identify at will. Once certain language fell out of acceptable usage, bigots implemented euphemisms and coded language to convey the same old sentiments. Putting a damper on hate speech, doesn't stop hate. It just makes it harder to call out someone on it.

[guillaumeb]

25. I live near Chicago. It might be the most segregated place in the country.

And I would not frame racism as a Southern US problem. It is a problem everywhere.

[Alex4Martinez]

11. Fucking KICK!!!

Strength, Mayor!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. It's long past time we stopped glorifying slavers and treason.

[spicysista]

14. ❤💙💚💛💜

I love the smell of progress. Keep on keeping on!

[littlemissmartypants]

16. Kicked and recommended. ❤ nt

[Sogo]

17. Is the Mississippi flag being taken down across the entire state?

Or is it just this town?

Is there a new flag design for Mississippi?

[peacebuzzard]

18. Mississippi suffering written all over his gentle face.

I am relieved he was finally able to do momentous act.
This small town mayor is a giant hero.