EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Spectators at the Mississippi Capitol broke into cheers and applause Saturday as lawmakers took a big step toward erasing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, a symbol that has come under intensifying criticism in recent weeks amid nationwide protests against racial injustice.
"The eyes of the state, the nation and indeed the world are on this House," Republican Rep. Jason White told his colleagues.
On the other end of the Capitol, Sen. Briggs Hopson declared: "Today, you — Mississippi — have a date with destiny."
Mississippi has the last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. Many see the emblem as racist, and the flag has been divisive for g
