Arkansas governor endorses separation of Martin Luther King, Robert E. Lee holidays

Gov. Asa Hutchinson is shown in this file photo.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson is shown in this file photo.

A proposal to end Arkansas’ dual recognition of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and civil-rights leader Martin Luther King is the right thing to do, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday.

“It is important as a mark in history that we [as a state] recognize in its fullest degree the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King,” Hutchinson said at the state Capitol in Little Rock.

The proposal, Senate Bill 519, was filed Tuesday and seeks to end the holiday that has been a subject of debate for decades in the state, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.

It would keep recognition of King during the third week in January and would create a memorial day to remember Lee on the second Saturday in October.

The bill would also emphasize that the education commissioner develop tools necessary to teach about historical contributions of African-American leaders in the state's schools.

Hutchinson, who endorsed the bill, said it removes what had previously been a “choice” for Arkansas residents — essentially allowing them to celebrate one historical figure over the other.

“That choice that is there divides us as a state and as a nation,” the governor said, noting that the dual celebration "sends the wrong signal to Arkansans and to our young people."

When asked why Lee should still be recognized on a separate day, Hutchinson said that the remembrance offers a way for people to "learn from leaders during the Civil War era."

Hutchinson acknowledged that there could be an "uphill battle" with the bill and said there's no guarantee that the proposal could make it past a committee.

"Over the last year and a half, I've been making my case in quiet forums to legislators and sharing my thoughts on it, and I think there's a growing understanding of the need for it," he said.

In Hutchinson's remarks, the governor also referenced the role of the state, and particularly the Little Rock Nine, in the civil-rights era.

"I do believe it would advance the image of the state of Arkansas as one that is receptive to all and that respects minorities, and that we're beyond the division of the past," he said.

Read Thursday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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