JACKSON, Mississippi – The Mississippi Flag Commission has chosen 147 flag designs for consideration, narrowing the field from thousands of submissions.
The nine members of the commission, each appointed by a Mississippi lawmaker, spoke with an expert regarding what they should look for in a new flag design. Pearl, Mississippi’s Clay Moss – a teacher and vexillologist; vexillology being the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags – was the perfect person to ask. He gave commission members one clear directive:
“Simplicity”, he said, is the first rule of flag design. “A small child should be able to draw it from memory. Less is more … Keep it simple.”
Commission members will rank the top 10 choices during an upcoming meeting expected to take place on Friday, August 14th. Then they will vote on the ‘final five’ flag designs.
When commission members choose the final design, it will be sent to the Legislature and Gov. Tate Reeves, then on November 3rd, Mississippians will vote on their choice. If the design is rejected by voters, the Mississippi Flag Commission will return to work and submit a new design next year.
See all 147 submissions – one of which features a giant mosquito – on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History website. The gallery will be updated when the final five designs are chosen.
Aleigh Farris is a writer, performer, and small business owner from Tupelo, Mississippi. You can hear her work on the upcoming podcasts Radio Analekta and Once Shattered.
