Walmart will reportedly no longer display the Mississippi state flag in its stores. The company is separately reviewing whether products in Canada featuring the phrase “All Lives Matter” breached its terms, Reuters reported.
The decision to no longer display the Mississippi flag comes as the state debates whether to change the flag, which features a confederate flag emblem, according to Reuters.
“We know the design of the Mississippi state flag is being discussed by various stakeholders,” a Walmart spokesperson said in an emailed statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “While the issue continues to be discussed, we’ve made the decision to remove the Mississippi state flag from display in its current form from our stores.”
The state flag of Mississippi, which incorporates the flag of the Confederate States of America in the top left corner, is displayed with the flags of the other 49 states and territories in the tunnel connecting the senate office building and the U.S. Capitol June 23, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
NASCAR recently banned the Confederate flag at all of its races after drivers campaigned for the move, led by driver Bubba Wallace, according to WBHM.
The Mississippi Baptist Convention also said lawmakers have a moral obligation to remove the Confederate flag from the state flag because many are “hurt and shamed” by it. (RELATED: FBI Says Noose Found In Bubba Wallace’s Stall Had Been There Since 2019)
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 McDonald’s Chevrolet, wears a “I Can’t Breathe – Black Lives Matter” T-shirt under his fire suit in solidarity with protesters around the world taking to the streets after the death of George Floyd on May 25 while in the custody of Minneapolis, Minnesota police, stands during the national anthem prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 07, 2020 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The calls to change the Mississippi state flag follow ongoing protests and riots which arose nationwide after the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. The protesters have supported or have themselves carried out a number of actions, one of them being removal of Confederate statues.
Walmart also said that it was reviewing products such as an “All Lives Matter” shirt that was for sale on the Walmart Canada site after social media users complained, and is checking to see if the products are in compliance with company terms.
“This item is sold and shipped by a third party seller and is currently being looked into,” Walmart Canada said.