It’s time to change Mississippi’s state flag, Hancock Whitney CEO says

As a proud Mississippi native, I have watched fellow Mississippians find success in industries across the world. We unquestionably are exporters of incredible talent and leadership. Some attribute the “Mississippi brain drain” out of our state to the painful parts of our history that still haunt the economic and social advancement of our future.

I believe that Mississippi can and should be a compelling success story, centered in the thriving southeastern region of America. We have made solid strides at improving education, technology infrastructure, defense industries, and medical centers; but we are still net exporters of talent to other parts of the country. Mississippi is known for resiliency and a charitable heart, and when visitors spend time within our state’s borders, we often hear about exceeding their expectations. We are blessed with abundant natural resources and quality of life, and we have every option to develop the Mississippi economy at an impressive pace.

Even so, we have work to do. We need to grow jobs, especially those that create better opportunities for generations to come. When recruiting against other regions for employers, image matters. We need a brand that showcases our capable workforce, competitive cost of living, and superb quality of life. Simultaneously, we should be mindful that there are images which create division and distraction.

One of those images is the current state flag. It’s time to replace Mississippi’s state flag with a symbol that all Mississippians can rally around and be proud to fly at their businesses and homes. Such an action signals externally that we are a unified people anxious to create opportunities and advancement for all Mississippians. One more barrier to retaining and attracting talent would go away, beneficial to existing employers.

We live in a time where reconciliation and understanding should triumph, rather than arguments about histories that create mixed reactions. We have so much to be proud of; and now is the moment to focus on the things that unite us and to let history take those things that divide us.

Please join me in supporting our elected officials who courageously take on this issue and who have the power to set a new direction. Please support the call for legislative action to make a change.

Last week, we displayed the “Stennis flag” at our downtown Gulfport corporate headquarters to show our support for moving forward together. We have no strong feeling about any future design, only that it represents a future together versus a past divided.

Please consider support of an update to the Mississippi state flag.

John Hairston is the president and CEO of Hancock Whitney Bank.