Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn in June called for the removal of the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag.

• Position: NEWSMAKERS

Caption: Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn (R) in June called for the removal of the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. "We must always remember our past, but that does not mean we must let it define us," Gunn said. "We need to begin having conversations about changing Mississippi's flag." Gunn's comments came several days after nine African-Americans were killed in a church in Charleston, S.C. Governor Phil Bryant (R) believes the flag should stay and so did Mississippi voters in 2001, by a 2-1 margin. Senator Kenny Wayne Jones (D), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said his...