Alaska News

Some Juneau residents push to have Mississippi flag removed from 50-state display downtown

A group of Juneau citizens is petitioning a local nonprofit to remove the Mississippi state flag, which features Confederate battle flag imagery, from a display of state flags lining one of the city's main streets.

The Mississippi flag's design includes a Confederate battle flag in its upper left corner. The calls to remove it come during a national debate over symbols of the Confederacy after a racially motivated mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, that killed nine. Dylann Roof, who is accused of the killings, had posed for photos holding the Confederate flag.

Nearly 200 Juneau residents signed a letter addressed to Friends of the Flag asking for removal of the Mississippi flag along Egan Drive. Those lending their support to the effort to remove the flag include state Reps. Sam Kito and Cathy Munoz, state Sen. Dennis Egan, Juneau Assembly member Jesse Kiehl, Sealaska Heritage Institute President Rosita Worl and former state Rep. Beth Kerttula.

Former City and Borough of Juneau Assembly member and deputy mayor Marc Wheeler is leading the effort to take the flag down. He said he was bothered by the flag's imagery for years and the Charleston shooting motivated him and others to push for its removal.

"We love what Friends of the Flag have done to welcome people to our community," Wheeler said in a phone interview Wednesday. "But flying (the flag) isn't welcoming to all people in our town at this point. It's time to remove something so it doesn't cause so much pain."

But the group is resisting the call to take the flag down. In an interview Wednesday, group secretary Judy Ripley said the group is not considering any action, though it will come down with the 49 other flags during their annual removal in September.

"We feel our goal is to fly official flags of all 50 states as a welcome to visitors of the capital city," she said. "For now the official flag is the official Mississippi flag."

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She said the organization, a loosely organized nonprofit that was formed 40 years ago to place flags along Egan Drive at the height of the tourism season from April to September, has other reasons for not taking the flag down. She noted if the Mississippi flag was removed, the group would have to consider removing other flags that contain or allude to Confederate battle flag imagery. She said it's also more complicated than just replacing the flag, since someone would have to coordinate with the city to facilitate a lane closure and police escort.

"We feel that if someone wishes to put pressure on the state of Mississippi, that a better course would be to write to the governor of Mississippi or some of the other legislators to effect change that way," she said.

Downtown Fairbanks also has a prominent display of 50 state flags along the Cushman Street Bridge. City spokeswoman Amber Courtney said Wednesday the city had received no complaints about the inclusion of the Mississippi flag in its display.

Wheeler said Juneau citizens advocating for the flag removal are willing to pay for it. He even has a magnolia flag -- the former flag of Mississippi, which does not contain the Confederate imagery -- to replace the current Mississippi flag.

Wheeler pointed out other cities have taken steps to remove the Mississippi flag from public displays -- including Boise, Idaho and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

He doesn't think Juneau should wait for Mississippi to take action in changing its flag.

"I think in the end, symbols are very powerful and I think there's a reason people cling to this flag," Wheeler said. "To say it's not big deal is to not put themselves in these people's shoes ... If you think that symbol isn't meaningful, you may not be thinking about the people who have been harmed in the name of that flag."

Suzanna Caldwell

Suzanna Caldwell is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in 2017.

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