Miss. actress appeals to First Lady Elee Reeves to change state flag

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A famous Mississippi actress is joining the chorus denouncing the Confederate emblem on the state flag.

Actress Aunjanue Ellis recently created a video directed to First Lady Elee Reeves to support the cause.

“They say that Southern women are husband-whisperers. Whisper to your husband and say he could be first governor of courage for the state of Mississippi.”

In a video on Facebook that has now gone viral, Ellis could bee seen appealing to First Lady Elee Reeves. She wants her to encourage Governor Tate Reeves to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the Mississippi flag that she believes reflects slavery and division.

I would like to speak to Mrs. Elee Reeves, the wife of Tate Reeves, the governor of the state of Mississippi.
Posted by Aunjanue Ellis on Monday, June 8, 2020

“I wanted to appeal to her empathy as a mother knowing that George Floyd when he was passing away, dying as he was being killed, was calling on his mother, his deceased mother as he was losing his breath.”

Ellis says she is hoping First Lady Reeves responds to her call for action.

“Yes. I think she owes it to the mothers to respond, the women of Mississippi. The only response I would welcome is her saying to her husband now it's time for the flag to be removed.”

Recently Governor Reeves said he nor lawmakers should decide whether the flag is changed. He believes it should be left up to the people.

"Governor Reeves could take down that flag tomorrow if he wanted to. That happens all the time across the country."

Ellis is best known for her roles in “The Help," “Birth of a Nation,” and she recently stared in “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel.”

But her heart has always been in Mississippi where she was raised and still lives. In fact, she has used her platform for years to fight for change.

While some feel the flag is symbol of history, the popular actress and activist strongly disagrees.

“It’s a heritage of hate, it’s a heritage of terror, of domestic terror. We have to insist that our governor, our governor’s wife and our state legislature act."

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