Mississippi and Alabama still celebrate Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s birthday alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day while most other states have dropped Lee’s recognition. Efforts to separate the holidays in Mississippi have failed, with State Rep. Kabir Karriem proposing a bill to exclusively recognize King’s birthday on the third Monday of January. In Alabama, similar bills have also failed to separate Lee Day from King Day.
In Louisiana, however, the two holidays were decoupled in 2020 by removing Lee Day and Confederate Memorial Day from the holiday roster, demonstrating a willingness to confront the state’s history of racism. This contrasts with the resistance in Alabama and Mississippi to make similar changes.
Although Lee Day was once celebrated in Southern states following the Civil War, it was largely abandoned after Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated a federal holiday in 1983. The persistence of dual celebrations in Mississippi and Alabama reflects a reluctance to address their histories of racism.
While some states have taken steps to acknowledge and reckon with their pasts, others continue to resist change. The debate over dual holidays continues to highlight the ongoing struggle to address the legacy of racism in the United States.
Source
Photo credit www.newsbreak.com
