Posted on January 20, 2025

Alabama and Mississippi Will Also Honor Robert E. Lee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Associated Press, January 19, 2025

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.

The two states recognize King and Lee on the third Monday in January. Their state governments created holidays more than a century ago to honor Lee and later combined the day with the federal holiday established in the 1980s to honor King.

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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.

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Black lawmakers in Alabama and Mississippi have made multiple attempts in recent years to separate the holidays. But they have so far been unsuccessful.

Rep. Kenyatté Hassell said he wants to try again in Alabama in the legislative session begining next month. It is disrespectful to King’s memory and the struggle of the civil rights movement to celebrate him alongside a Confederate general, Hassell, said Hassell, a Democrat from Montgomery.

“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.

The holiday celebrating Lee and King together comes in states where Black residents account for more than a quarter of the population. Black citizens make up 36% of the population in Mississippi and 27% in Alabama.

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In Mississippi, Rep. Kabir Karriem, a Democrat from Columbus, introduced legislation this session that would remove the recognition of Lee from the holiday. The bill states the purpose is 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.”

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