Arkansas Dem introduces bill to honor Native Americans instead of Confederation on a state flag



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A lawmaker from Arkansas on Friday introduced a bill to eliminate Confederate symbolism on the state's flag.

State representative Charles Blake (D) has introduced a bill that would not change the design of the flag, but would change the wording of the state's constitution to designate a large star representing the Amerindian nations, according to The Associated Press.

One of the four big blue stars of the flag is supposed to represent the Confederate States of America. The fourth star was introduced into the flag in 1923.

In the current iteration of the flag, the star Confederacy is above the name of the state, while three other stars symbolize other key elements in the history of the state.

Blake's Bill would redefine the star to honor the contributions of the Quapaw, Osage and Caddo tribes who first inhabited the area.

The text of the proposal indicates that the name of the state itself is derived from an Amerindian word meaning "southern place".

Lawmakers from a number of states lobbied to remove monuments, plaques and other tributes to the Confederation. Last month, a Confederate plaque was removed from the Capitol, Texas, as a result of a bipartisan effort by state legislators.

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