Mississippi has voted to redesign its flag to remove the Confederate battle emblem, making it the last US state to remove the controversial symbol that was used by southern states during the American Civil War.
Mississippi legislature passed a bill on Sunday 28 June to remove the blue saltire cross with white stars from its state flag.
A commission will now be established to design a new state flag that will include the words "In God We Trust",  the official motto of the US that is used on all paper bills.
Public to vote on new flag design in November
The new flag design will be presented to legislature by 14 September and a colour picture or drawing will be placed on a ballot in a special election held on 3 November.
The design will be approved and enacted into law if a majority votes for it. If not, the design will be revised. "If a majority of the qualified electors vote against the new design, then the commission shall reconvene to recommend another new design for the Mississippi state flag to be presented to the legislature during the 2021 regular session," the bill said.
The bill also commits the state to removing the current flag from all public buildings within 15 days.
The redesign comes amid a call to end the use of symbols of the Confederacy, which was established by seven slave-holding states ? South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas ? in 1861.
The succession of these states led to the American Civil Wa...