In the debate over whether to remove controversial historical figures and symbols, Mississippi’s is the example to follow.
The state House and Senate voted this weekend to remove a Confederate emblem from its state flag, and to replace the flag with a new design. This was done peacefully, with debate, and through the democratic channels that exist for this very kind of thing. And now residents have the chance to vote in favor or against whatever new design a nine-person commission will create by November.
This is exactly how it should be done. We can debate the merits of removing the Confederate emblem, but the ultimate decisions must be made by the elected representatives of the people, not by spray paint-wielding mobs who think that tearing down statues at will is acceptable.
Personally, I think it’s a good thing the state will no longer honor the memory of the southern states’ betrayal. What’s more, Mississippi’s flag wasn’t just left that way after the Civil War — it was changed in the 1890s to incorporate the famous “General Lee” design, as a sign of defiance against allowing blacks’ civil rights.
There is much more work to be done to reconcile the nation, but it must be done through a process that is “prompt, dignified, and respectful,” as Mississippi’s bill stated.
This democratic process will help us avoid the “slippery slope” about which Republicans have warned, by which those coming for General Lee yesterday are now coming for General Washington and even General Grant.
Their concerns are fair, and in some cases they are right. But there’s a big difference between the iconoclasm eating the Left and the respectful correction that Mississippi’s legislators have decided is necessary. Iconoclasts want to destroy everything in their path; Mississippi’s legislature simply wants to move on.
The debate over historical symbols and statues is an important one worth having — but it must remain just that: a debate. Mississippi showed us how it’s done.
