Happy…ummm…Robert E Lee Day?
My kids have a holiday from school today in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. day. I have a holiday from my community college for Robert E Lee day. Something I had never heard of even though I was born and raised in the south.
Talk about a way to offend some African Americans! Let’s take the focus off of a man who fought for civil rights for black people and turn it around to honor the man who was fighting with the Confederate troops to maintain the rights of people to own slaves! I know, I know, the civil war was about a lot more than that. I get that. But really–don’t ya think it might offend a few people to take the focus off of King and put it on THAT????
January 21st, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Uhm, it was Robert E Lee day first. Lee’s holiday (at least in MS and many other southern states) dates back to 1889. Some southern states also add Jackson to that day, calling it Lee-Jackson day. MLK’s birthdate happens to be a close date as well. Therefore the double duty. Some states have separated the 2 celebrating Lee-Jackson day on the Friday before.
January 21st, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Was there always a holiday on Robert E Lee day? Because at least in Atlanta we were never out of school on that day. That was new with MLK day. Maybe it’s a “deep south” thing or a “small southern town” thing???
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
It was Lee-Jackson-King Day in Virginia, too. Always struck me as odd.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Hey Chewy, I’m late chiming in on this one. We didn’t get out of school for Robert E. Lee day in B’ham either, but it was on the calendar. Then again, we didn’t get out for Columbus Day or a bunch of other days either. But Veterans’ Day was a HUGE thing. We were out of school, there was a big parade downtown, etc. Then I moved here and no one bats an eye about Veterans’ Day.
When the MLK holiday became a federal holiday, in MS the federal offices were closed for MLK but the state offices were closed for Robert E. Lee, as it was already a state holiday there.