Faith Hill has faith that her home state of Mississippi will do the right thing when it comes to its state flag.
The country music superstar, 52, took to Twitter Thursday to call on the Mississippi legislature to create a new state flag "that represents ALL of the citizens of Mississippi."
The current state flag features three horizontal blue, white and red stripes with a square bearing the controversial Confederate battle emblem, which has come under fresh fire amid anti-racism and police brutality protests following the May 25th death of George Floyd.
"I understand many view the current flag as a symbol of heritage and Southern pride," Hill said in a series of tweets. "But we have to realize that this flag is a direct symbol of terror for our black brothers and sisters."
Mississippi is the last state with the Confederate emblem on its flag.
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"Now, it is time for the world to meet the Mississippi of today and not the Mississippi of 1894," urged Hill, who calls herself a "proud MS girl." "I love my home state. When I think of Mississippi, I think of my mom and dad, the church I grew up in, high school football, and where I fell in love with music."
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Hayley Williams, lead singer of the band Paramore and a fellow Mississippi native, shared Hill's sentiments.
"i remember noticing racial inequities from a very young age but i certainly did not realize then that there was anything that could be done about it," Williams tweeted Thursday. "i imagine, even a grown-up would feel intimidated/overwhelmed to do something about it in MS. yet tomorrow, there’s opportunity!"
She continued: "i’m speaking on this in effort to honor the good memories i have kept from my childhood in Meridian and to (in a way that feels too small) give support back to the young black people who i know made a significant impact on my musical journey."
Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday, for the first time, that he probably would not stand in the way if legislators muster a large enough majority to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag.
The state’s annual legislative session is almost over, and it takes a two-thirds majority of the House and Senate to consider a bill after the normal deadlines have passed.
“If they get those votes, a veto would be pointless,” Reeves wrote on Facebook. “The debate would be over, and the flag would change.”
Leaders say a vote at the state Capitol could happen as soon as Saturday.
Mississippi has used the Confederate emblem in its flag since 1894, when white supremacists in state government adopted it after Reconstruction.
Mississippi voters chose to keep the flag in a 2001 statewide election, but the design has remained contentious. Elsewhere in the country, debate has sharpened as Confederate monuments and statues recalling past slavery have been toppled by protesters or deliberately removed by authorities amid a groundswell against racial inequities. Even NASCAR banned the display of the rebel flag.
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Contributing: The Associated Press
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