The country music singer and the Paramore lead vocalist are calling for their Mississippi fans to vote on a new state flag to remove controversial Confederate imagery.

• Jun 27, 2020

AceShowbiz - Country star Faith Hill is imploring Mississippi lawmakers to remove controversial Confederate imagery from the state flag because it's a "direct symbol of terror" for the black community.

The singer has joined calls to update the state banner amid renewed racial tensions and ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minnesota in late May 2020.

Hill, who was born and raised in Mississippi, took to Twitter late on Thursday, June 25, 2020 to outline her argument for meaningful change, insisting the Confederate battle emblem only serves as a painful reminder of America's history of racism and slavery.

"To the Mississippi legislature: It's time to change the state flag," she began in a series of posts, shared as officials in the state House of Representatives considered holding a vote on the matter on Friday.

Declaring she is a "proud MS girl" who loves her home state, the musician continued, "Now, it is time for the world to meet the Mississippi of today and not the Mississippi of 1894 (when the MS legislature voted on the current flag)."

"I understand many view the current (Mississippi state) flag as a symbol of heritage and Southern pride, but we have to realize that this flag is a direct symbol of terror for our Black brothers and sisters," she added.

"I urge the Mississippi legislature to vote tomorrow Friday, June 26 on ONE NEW FLAG, one that represents ALL of the citizens of Mississippi."

Meanwhile, fellow Mississippi native Hayley Williams also added her voice to the cause, having spent her formative years in the city of Meridian.

In a Twitter plea to lawmakers, the Paramore singer wrote in part, "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 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."

Mississippi's banner is the last remaining state flag to feature the Confederate imagery, which was recently banned from all NASCAR events as public pressure to take down Confederate monuments across the U.S. grows in the wake of Floyd's murder.