The Mississippi State Flag must be changed to a banner that reflects true Mississippi values.

We have said this before, and we make again today this call for action by our leaders following yet another negative moment in the national spotlight for our state.

On Monday, protesters shut down a city street in Philadelphia to protest our flag as it was displayed outside the Democratic National Convention.

Mississippi is the lone state still including a Confederate symbol in its flag. Few in power seem interested in change. Their justification? A 15 year-old referendum they apparently consider an eternal mandate of the people.

The flag is a part of our history, yet it has no place in our future.

Our state must compete economically with states that are unchained from the ghosts of the past. Business owners must compete for business against seemingly more hospitable competitors. Tourism, film and hospitality industries are hurt when our national image is tarnished.

Mississippi has far too much to offer to allow our turn on the national stage to be turned negative by the display of an emblem that has come to represent the opposite of the true character of its people.

It is past time for a change. And it is past time for our leaders to get on with making it.