Alabama and Mississippi recognize both King and Lee on the third Monday in January.
Published: Jan. 19, 2025, 9:15 a.m.MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The U.S. is set to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday set aside to honor the life of the civil rights icon. But in Alabama and Mississippi, Monday is also Robert E. Lee Day in honor of the Confederate general.
Some other southern states at one time also had a joint holiday, but have ended that practice, leaving only Alabama and Mississippi with a single day honoring both King and Lee. “There are fundamental difference between General Lee and Dr. King. The Confederate general, he fought the preserve slavery and uphold the whole institution of white supremacy. Dr. King was a civil rights leader who fought for equality and justice for all people,” Hassell said.
Hassell in 2023 introduced legislation, co-sponsored with more than a dozen other lawmakers, that would remove the reference to Lee on the January holiday. Another 2024 bill would have moved the Lee holiday to Columbus Day in October, which coincides with the month of his death. Neither bill made it to a floor vote.
Virginia in 2020 scrapped a holiday honoring Lee and Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, both natives of the state, to make Election Day a state holiday.
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