OXFORD, Miss. — The Mississippi state flag — which shows the Confederate battle emblem in the upper left-hand corner — has been lowered at the University of Mississippi.

In taking down the flag Monday, Ole Miss removes what officials had decided was a symbol that sent a harmful message in this age of diversity.

“The flag had become a point of contention,” interim chancellor Morris Stocks said, explaining why he decided the university should take down the 121-year-old banner.

Opponents of the flag say it’s a symbol of slavery and racial oppression.

Since 1894, the Mississippi flag has included the Confederate emblem — a blue X with 13 white stars on a field of red. State voters decided in 2001 to keep it there.