How do you actually make change in the world? For 126 years, Mississippi has had the Confederate battle flag on their state flag, and they were the last state in the nation where that emblem remained “officially” flying.  A few days ago, that flag came down. A few days before that, it coming down would have seemed impossible. We dive into the story behind this de-flagging: a journey involving a clash of histories, designs, families, and even cheerleading. 

Kiese Laymon’s memoir Heavy is here.

And the Hospitality Flag webpage is here.

Reported and produced by Shima Oliaee with production support from Annie McEwen and Bethel Habte.

This episode was a collaboration between OSM Audio and Radiolab.

You can check out upcoming releases from OSM Audio here.