Only two states – one of which is Mississippi – recognize Robert E. Lee Day at the same time as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and one lawmaker is looking to change that.
Rep. Kabir Karriem, D-Columbus, introduced a bill that would officially retire Robert E. Lee Day as a legal holiday in Mississippi and solely reserve the third Monday of every January for King. Karriem has introduced similar legislation in the past but to no avail.
He wrote in House Bill 704 that if the legislature “desires to reflect the transformative power of Mississippi from its past to its present by celebrating holidays that wholly reflect the remarkable strides made by all citizens,” lawmakers should not celebrate the civil rights icon and the Confederate general on the same day.
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King, who would have been 96 years old last Thursday, often visited Mississippi during his career in activism. He took part in Medgar Evers’ funeral procession in 1963, visited Greenwood in support of the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964, and testified in support of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party during the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
The only other state that celebrates Lee and King’s birthday on the same day is Alabama. Karriem’s bill has been referred to the House Rules Committee and would need approval there before heading to the floor for a full vote.
