Voters to keep state flag emblem, NAACP indicates possible boycott

JACKSON, Miss. - The NAACP raised the threat of an economic boycott yesterday to drag Mississippi "kicking and screaming into the 21st century" after voters overwhelmingly decided to keep their 107-year-old state flag with the Confederate emblem.

NAACP leaders said they will decide next month whether to lead a boycott, a tactic used by the organization against South Carolina, where a Confederate flag flew for decades over the Statehouse dome until it was taken down last year.

"That flag has never been my flag, nor will it ever be my flag nor the flag of black people in the state of Mississippi who really understand the reason behind the Confederate flag and all of its history," state NAACP President Eugene Bryant said.

By nearly 2-to-1 Tuesday, Mississippi voters decided to keep their 1894 flag, rejecting a new design that would have replaced the Confederate emblem with a cluster of 20 stars signifying Mississippi's admission as the 20th state.

No other state prominently displays the Confederate emblem on its flag.

"The voice of the people has been heard. The people of Mississippi do not want another flag. Mississippians are proud of their families, this state and its rich history," said William Earl Faggert, a leader of the state Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Mississippi NAACP official Deborah Denard said the vote means the state will have to be "dragged along kicking and screaming into the 21st century."

"Mississippi is kind of acting like children in that regard," Denard said. "They know that the Confederate banner has to go eventually, but they have to cling to antiquated ideas about what constitutes honor and dignity."