By JAY REEVES
Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - The Confederate battle flag is losing its place of official prominence in the South 155 years after the end of the Civil War. Mississippi’s Republican governor on Tuesday signed legislation to remove the Confederate emblem from the state flag. Other states took action previously. NASCAR, meanwhile, has banned the rebel banner from its car races. The flag with the familiar X design is still visible along Southern highways and in some stores. It's far from being banished in the region. But even flag supporters are surprised by the speed with which change is taking place amid a national debate over racial inequality.

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