7/6/2020 - COVID Infiltrates House | Rep. Resigns | Mississippi Center for Justice | Flag Commission: MEC - a podcast by MPB Think Radio

COVID-19 infiltrates the state House as multiple members, including the Speaker, test positive.

And, another House member announces his resignation.

Then, we examine what comes after the flag change with the Mississippi Center for Justice.

Plus, the role the Mississippi Economic Council will play in presenting a new flag design for voters.

Segment 1:

The State Department of Health is putting the Mississippi House of Representatives on notice that it is investigating several cases of COVID-19 among chamber members. In a letter to the House, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs told members they have potentially been exposed to the virus and recommended testing as well as a 14-day isolation period. House Speaker Philip Gunn is one of the confirmed cases. He took to Facebook Sunday to share his test results.

As members of the House negotiate the threat of COVID within their ranks, one seat in the chamber is now vacant. District 66 Representative Jarvis Dortch submitted his resignation last week. Dortch was in the first year of his second term serving the District. He tells our Desare Frazier, a new opportunity with the Mississippi Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union allows him to pursue policy goals with a different approach.

Segment 2:

The retiring of the 1894 state flag, adorned with the confederate battle emblem, was a celebrated move for many advocates of social justice and equality. For The Mississippi Center for Justice, it marked a step in the right direction for more needed change.  

But, as President and CEO Vangela Wade tells us, there is still more work to do.

Segment 3:

In November, voters will get an up or down vote on a design for a new state banner. That design, approved for public vote by the legislature, will be developed and presented by a nine-person commission. One stipulation of the bill that retired the 1894 flag was that a member of the Mississippi Economic Council be represented on the commission charged with designing the new flag. In part two of our three part series, President and CEO Scott Waller tells our Kobee Vance what it means for his organization to be a part of this endeavor.

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