WASHINGTON — State flags, including the controversial Mississippi flag featuring the Confederate battle emblem, will no longer hang in the tunnel at the U.S. Capitol where each had been displayed.
Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., said Thursday the flags, which had been removed during renovations, will instead be replaced with prints of each state’s commemorative coin.
“Given the controversy surrounding confederate imagery, I decided to install a new display,’’ Miller, chairwoman of the House Administration Committee, said in a statement. “I am well aware of how many Americans negatively view the Confederate flag, and, personally, I am very sympathetic to these views. However, I also believe that it is not the business of the federal government to dictate what flag each state flies.’’
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., had called on Congress to remove all items bearing the Confederate battle flag, including his state flag.
The flags had been displayed on the wall in the tunnel that runs between a House office building and the Capitol. Visitors and members of Congress travel between the office building and the Capitol by walking or taking small subway cars that go by the flags.
“I am pleased that the Architect of the Capitol will no longer display symbols of hatred and bigotry in the esteemed halls of the United States House of Representatives,’’ Thompson said in a statement. “As I said last summer, this is the People’s House and we should ensure that we, as an institution, refuse to condone symbols that seek to divide us.’’
The committee’s move Thursday puts the spotlight back on the states, including Mississippi, where battles are brewing over whether to remove Confederate flags and statues from public places.
Last summer, Thompson urged Congress to hold a hearing on his resolution to remove items from House grounds that feature Confederate flag emblems. Democratic lawmakers, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joined Thompson in the effort. But little happened.
Thompson, civil rights groups and others argue the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and a reminder of the South’s long history of segregation.