The bill passed the state Senate on Thursday after 13 hours of debate, and includes a measure that requires the confederate banner be removed 24 hours after the governor’s signature.
A ceremony will be held to mark the removal of the rebel banner from the Capitol’s front lawn on Friday at 10AM, the governor’s spokeswoman Chaney Adams told the Associated Press. The flag will then be displayed at the Confederate Relic Room.
The decision follows weeks of intense scrutiny over the banner which many view to be a symbol of racism. The Charleston massacre, in which nine black churchgoers were shot and killed by a white supremacist, reignited a nationwide debate over the Confederate flag and its place in today’s society.
