Mayor Bland speaks on flag-raising ceremony

Monday, January 11th will be a historical day for the City of Meridian. Mayor Percy Bland along with other officials will come together on the lawn of City Hall to raise the new Mississippi State flag.

The Mississippi Senate passed the bill this Tuesday, adopting a new state flag in Mississippi. In early 2020, lawmakers voted to retire the flag that displayed the confederate emblem.

“The old confederate was a challenge for us as it relates to economic development, as it relates to just people who see that flag--understanding its past and knowing that it still hurt, shame, distrust and all those types of things there that the confederate flag represented,” said Mayor Percy Bland.

In the November election, voters approved the new flag with the magnolia and the phrase that reads ”In God We Trust.” Mayor Bland says the new flag will hang under the American flag that sits on top of City Hall.

“Flags, symbols, processes--all those things are very important. Ceremonial this will be something that we do and this flag will hopefully stand for the rest of time. Of course it has the symbol “In God we Trust” and in God we do trust and I think that is symbolic to the state of Mississippi.”

The ceremony will begin at 12:15 p.m. in front of City Hall. Mayor Bland will officially raise the flag as well as give remarks about the historic vote on the new flag design and how it represents Meridian. Face coverings and social distancing will be enforced.