As the nation commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday honoring the civil rights icon, Alabama and Mississippi continue to draw scrutiny for their controversial practice of also observing Robert E. Lee Day on the same date, The Associated Press reports.
This unique pairing of holidays honoring figures with diametrically opposed legacies stands in stark contrast to the growing trend among other Southern states to abolish or rename Confederate-related holidays.
Both Alabama and Mississippi recognize King and Lee on the third Monday in January, a practice rooted in historical events. Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, was born on January 19, 1807, while Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. Following the Civil War, white politicians in Southern states created holidays to honor Confederate figures. Alabama established a holiday for Lee in 1901, and Mississippi followed suit in 1910.
When Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday in 1983, Alabama and Mississippi added it to their state calendars but retained their existing Lee Day, creating the current joint holiday. While some Southern states initially had similar joint observances, they have since moved away from this practice, leaving Alabama and Mississippi as the sole holdouts.
The combined holiday has drawn criticism, especially from Black lawmakers and civil rights advocates. Representative Kenyatté Hassell, a Democrat from Montgomery, Alabama, has repeatedly called for separating the holidays. He argues that celebrating King alongside a Confederate general, who fought to preserve slavery, is disrespectful to the civil rights movement.
This contentious issue is especially sensitive in states with significant Black populations, with Black citizens making up 36% of the population in Mississippi and 27% in Alabama.
Hassell’s attempts to pass legislation to remove the reference to Lee from the January holiday or to move it to another date have been unsuccessful to date, yet he has indicated his intent to try again.
Southern States Shift Away From Confederate Holidays
The decision by Alabama and Mississippi to maintain this joint holiday runs counter to actions taken by other Southern states in recent years. Many have chosen to distance themselves from Confederate symbols and observances.
- Louisiana: In 2022, Louisiana struck Robert E. Lee Day and Confederate Memorial Day from its list of official state holidays.
- Virginia: In 2020, Virginia scrapped a holiday honoring Lee and Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson to make Election Day a state holiday.
- Georgia: In 2015, Georgia changed Confederate Memorial Day to the neutrally titled “State Holiday.”
- Arkansas: In 2017, Arkansas ended the state’s practice of commemorating Lee on the same day as King, leaving only Alabama and Mississippi remaining.
While other states may have Confederate-related holidays on their books, these are not typically full holidays where state offices are closed. In addition to their joint King/Lee holiday, both Alabama and Mississippi continue to observe Confederate Memorial Day in April and the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, making for three Confederate-related state holidays each. South Carolina also marks Confederate Memorial Day in May.
