Paramore's Hayley Williams calls for Confederate emblem to be removed from Mississippi flag
Paramore‘s Hayley Williams is among those calling for the Mississippi state flag to be changed because it contains the Confederate battle emblem.
Mississippi is the last state in the US whose flag features the emblem. White supremacists in the Mississippi Legislature put the emblem on the upper left corner of state flag in 1894.
An important vote concerning the removal of it took place on Friday (June 26), and before it took place Williams shared a series of tweets pleading with lawmakers to vote in favour of the emblem’s removal.
“I was born in Meridian, MS. lived there thru 2001,” she began. “Transparently, I have some awful memories from life there but a lot of the good ones i keep involve my black schoolmates & neighborhood friends.
“Those kids introduced me to black artists who shape my artistry to this day. I remember noticing racial inequities from a very young age but I certainly did not realize then that there was anything that could be done about it.”
i was born in meridian, ms. lived there thru 2001. transparently, i have some awful memories from life there but a lot of the good ones i keep involve my black schoolmates & neighborhood friends. those kids introduced me to black artists who shape my artistry to this day…
— hayley from Paramore ? (@yelyahwilliams) June 26, 2020
The Paramore frontwoman continued: “I imagine even a grown-up would feel intimidated/overwhelmed to do something about it in MS. Yet tomorrow, there’s opportunity! tomorrow, legislators in my birth state have a chance to take action with a big first step. So tonight, i am appealing to the Mississippi legislature to vote tomorrow (Friday, June 26) on a new flag, one that represents ALL of the citizens of MS.”
She concluded her plea using the hashtag: #TakeItDownMS.
tomorrow, legislators in my birthstate have a chance to take action with a big first step…
so tonight, i am appealing to the Mississippi legislature to vote tomorrow (Friday, June 26) on a new flag, one that represents ALL of the citizens of MS.#TakeItDownMS
— hayley from Paramore ? (@yelyahwilliams) June 26, 2020
Williams later added: “I’m speaking on this in effort to honor the good memories i have kept from my childhood in Meridian and to (in a way that feels too small) give support back to the young black people who i know made a significant impact on my musical journey.
“Special shouts, though they may never see this: Sheena- i have this memory of you drawin D’Angelo all on your papers in class bc you thought he was hot. THATS HOW I LEARNED ABOUT HIM. Sakara- we would sing “aahaaa hush that fuss…” during recess. first time I heard OutKast.”
special shouts, though they may never see this:
Sheena- i have this memory of you drawin D’Angelo all on your papers in class bc you thought he was hot. THATS HOW I LEARNED ABOUT HIM.
Sakara- we would sing “aahaaa hush that fuss…” during recess. first time i heard OutKast ?
— hayley from Paramore ? (@yelyahwilliams) June 26, 2020
This isn’t the first time the topic of whether to change the flag has come up. It was discussed during a 2001 state election, but the flag remained unchanged.
‘Petals For Armor’ was released in May, marking the Paramore frontwoman’s first full-length solo release. In a four-star review, NME said of the record: “From a less skilled artist, such a disparate-sounding album might morph into a collage of loose touchstones. Hayley Williams, on the other hand, draws clearly from other artists but retains her voice at the centre.”
