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Now that the Confederate flag debate has been taken up by the South Carolina State Legislature and the removal of the Battle flag is likely to happen, will our agenda be addressed by lawmakers in the state?

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. joined Roland Martin on NewsOne Now to discuss what our focus should be once the flag is removed from the South Carolina State House grounds.

“The power of innocent blood is bringing that flag down,” said Jackson. “My concern is that beyond the flag coming down, the flag’s agenda is not addressed at this stage.”

He continued, “… what is the meaning of a thirty percent Black population and a 77 percent prison population, or when the state has a $8 billion budget and rejects $11 billion in Medicaid money with a million of its people in poverty.”

“I very much have one eye focused on that flag coming down, but the agenda that the flag represents must also come down.”

NewsOne Now panelist David Swerdlick shared in Rev. Jackson’s sentiment:

“Let’s get the flag down off of the State grounds — out of the taxpayers paying to fly the flag on the State grounds. Let people who still want to fly the flag on their front lawn fly it and get on to what Rev. Jackson is talking about — about incarceration rates, let the legislature deal with Medicaid — with governing the state of South Carolina.”

Watch Roland Martin, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., and NewsOne Now panelists Joia Jefferson Nuri, founder of In The Public Eye Communications, David Swerdlick, Associate Editor for The Washington Post, and Danielle Belton, Associate Editor for TheRoot.com, discuss the latest developments in the legislative battle to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds in the video clip above.

Be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, weekdays at 9 a.m. EST on TV One.

Subscribe to the “NewsOne Now” Audio Podcast on iTunes.

SEE ALSO:

Will A ‘Dog Fight’ Ensue In The SC State House Over The Confederate Flag?