Georgia’s new state flag design is a welcome change, but one that is long overdue.

Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes signed a bill Wednesday instating the new design as the state’s new flag. The Georgia Senate approved the flag Tuesday with a vote of 34-22. The state House approved it last week after Barnes urged legislators to vote for the redesign.

The old design features the state seal on the right third and the Confederate battle flag on the remaining two-thirds. The new flag displays the state seal in the middle and incorporates the old flag design with the state’s two previous flag designs and the original and current U.S. flag in a banner at the bottom under the heading “Georgia’s History.”

Proponents of the old design argue the Confederate battle flag is a reflection of Southern heritage and honorary of Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. Opponents see the battle emblem as a reminder of slavery and segregation. Some historians say the Confederate battle emblem was added to the flag in 1956 to protest federal orders to desegregate schools.

Regardless of the emblem’s purpose on the flag, it is offensive to many people in the state and the nation. Besides being a reminder of slavery in our country, it is also a reminder of segregation in the country’s schools. A government should represent all of its people and the symbols it adopts should reflect all of those within the governing body. If a symbol offends some of the people, it should be removed or its prominence reduced.

Flags are important symbols of the groups they represent. The symbols on a flag reflect the ideals of the people in the group. To many, the Confederate emblem represents slavery, segregation and racism, and the people of Georgia are then linked to those ideals. The emblem is a constant reminder of an embarrassing part of the nation’s history. For the government to fly a flag with the Confederate emblem is an assumed endorsement of the principles associated with it.

The new flag design is a good compromise between those who want to preserve Southern history and those who do not want to be reminded of its dark aspects. By including the old design, Georgia’s heritage remains, while not endorsing the negative qualities. The new design allows for remembrance without support. However, there should have been earlier efforts to decrease the presence of the Confederate emblem on the flag.

No one’s freedom of speech is being violated by changing the design. The Confederate emblem can still be flown by anyone who wishes to, it simply will not be as prominent a feature of the state’s new flag. The attitudes and heritage of the people of Georgia will not be altered with the design of their flag.

While Georgia should embrace its heritage, it should not endorse the negative principles associated with the Confederate emblem by making it the most prominent feature of its flag.

The new flag is a good way to represent modern Georgia’s ideals without forgetting its past.