Story highlights Mississippi's state flag is only one in country that still includes Confederate battle emblem

"Quantico" star Aunjanue Ellis has vowed never to act in her home state as long as flag remains

Ellis wore dress at NAACP Image Awards that said "Take It Down Mississippi"

(CNN) Actress Aunjanue Ellis used the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards on Friday to take a political stand.

The "Quantico" star wore a white dress emblazoned with the phrase "Take It Down Mississippi," a reference to ongoing debate over the state flag , the last in the country to incorporate the Confederate battle emblem. Designed by "Quantico" costume designer Sami Rattner, the dress included a red handprint next to the phrase.

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Change has been slower in Mississippi, where the widely recognizable Confederate symbol known as the Southern Cross occupies not just a prominent landmark, but the upper left corner of the state flag, wherever it flies.

Photos: Evolution of the Confederate flag Photos: Evolution of the Confederate flag A veteran of the Confederate States of America examines a Union water bottle in front of a Confederate flag. Here's a look at the evolution of that flag. Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Evolution of the Confederate flag The first national flag of the Confederate States of America was created in 1861 and had seven stars to represent the breakaway states of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Evolution of the Confederate flag The second National Flag of the Confederacy was issued by the Confederate Congress on May 1, 1863. This flag was designed to have a distinct difference from the Union's Stars and Stripes. Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Evolution of the Confederate flag The third National Flag of the Confederacy was the final flag of the Confederate government and was adopted on March 4, 1865. The flag was not used long before the Confederacy surrendered. Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Evolution of the Confederate flag The Confederate Battle flag known as the "Southern Cross" has 13 stars to represent the defeated Confederate States of America. Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Evolution of the Confederate flag Dixiecrats resurrected the "Southern Cross" flag as a political symbol around the time President Harry Truman supported efforts to end lynchings and desegregate the military in 1948. During that same period, the Ku Klux Klan began using the flag more widely. Hide Caption 6 of 6

It's a topic close to Ellis, who was born and raised in the Magnolia State and filmed " The Help " there. In a June 2015 Time column , she vowed not to act in her home state until the flag comes down. The Ku Klux Klan attacked her grandfather under that flag, she wrote, and it remains a symbol of hate, not heritage.

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