Ole Miss Removes State Flag From Campus Due to Confederate Emblem

The University of Mississippi announced this week that it will be removing the state flag from its main campus because the flag carries the emblem of the Confederacy.

Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks said in a statement that the flag was going to be removed from the Oxford campus as a move of inclusivity for all students at Ole Miss.

"As Mississippi's flagship university, we have a deep love and respect for our state," Stocks said. "Because the flag remains Mississippi's official banner, this was a hard decision. I understand the flag represents tradition and honor to some. But to others, the flag means that some members of the Ole Miss family are not welcomed or valued."

The university's action is the latest move in an ongoing attempt by some to have the Confederate flag removed from public places.

While some in the south argue the flag represents the southern identity and tradition, others argue it represents slavery and a painful chapter in the area's history.

Earlier this year, South Carolina's capitol building removed the Confederate flag from its grounds.

Proponents of the flag removal said in a local newspaper ad at the time that "It is simply not fair, or honorable, to ask black Mississippians to attend schools, compete in athletic events, work in the public sector, serve in the National Guard, and go about their normal lives with a state flag that glorifies a war fought to keep their ancestors enslaved."