The University of Mississippi removed the state flag, which displays the Confederate battle emblem, from its campus in a Monday morning ceremony.
“The University of Mississippi community came to the realization years ago that the Confederate battle flag did not represent many of our core values, such as civility and respect for others,” Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks said in a statement. “Since that time, we have become a stronger and better university. We join other leaders in our state who are calling for a change in the state flag.”
The university is widely known as Ole Miss.
On October 16, more than 200 people attended a rally on campus calling for the removal of the flag. Four days later, the student senate voted to request that the university take it down.
The Mississippi flag has had the Confederate battle emblem in the upper left corner since 1894. During a statewide vote in 2001, Mississippi residents chose to keep the flag, according to the Associated Press.
The use of the Confederate flag became a national debate after nine black people were murdered at a church in Charleston, South Carolina in June. Less than a month after the shootings, the South Carolina removed the confederate flag from the statehouse.
“As Mississippi’s flagship university, we have a deep love and respect for our state,” Stocks added. “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.”