With the failure of a bill seeking separation of Robert E. Lee Day from Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Arkansas remains one of three states, along with Mississippi and Alabama, to honor the two men jointly.
House Bill 1113, sponsored by Rep. Nate Bell, R-Mena, was filed Jan. 21 and proposed to move the honoring of Lee to Nov. 30, which would designate the holiday as Patrick Cleburne-Robert E. Lee Southern Heritage Day in recognition of the two Confederate generals. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Robert E. Lee Day are observed the third Monday of January in the state.
Bell was not alone in filing a bill to separate the days. Rep. Fredrick Love, D-Little Rock, introduced another bill Jan. 21 that called for removing Robert E. Lee Day altogether. Love is a former chairman of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus.
“My bill has not been run through committee yet,” Love says. “At this point, I’m going to let Bell run his before I run mine.”
Bell’s bill initially fell to a voice vote when it came up for the first time before the State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, where opponents of the separation had spoken out against it. Despite the initial lack of success, Bell told the caucus Feb. 2 that his bill will come up again.
“We hope the bill will pass to remove Robert E. Lee Day simply because we feel Dr. King deserves a day that is dedicated to his remembrance for the sacrifices he made with his leadership in a movement that changed the course of history,” says Kasey L. Summerville, president of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus. “These men had diametrically opposed ideologies. Celebrating them together is a travesty.”
Love says regardless of whether Lee was an honorable man, one cannot leave out his role in fighting for a government that sought to protect the institution of slavery.
“I think it’s important that the men fought for two different ends of the spectrum,” Love says. “Martin Luther King fought for everyone’s rights; Lee fought for the Confederacy.”
Lee, along with other prominent Southerners, signed an Aug. 26, 1868, letter to Gen. William Rosecrans that opposed allowing blacks the right to vote following the Civil War. King led a 1965 march from Selma, Alabama, to the Capitol in Montgomery to advocate for equal voting rights.
“Celebrating Lee and King together sends a message to some Arkansans that is causing concern,” Summerville says. “Because we celebrate both men, it implies that they are both equally worthy. We understand Mr. Lee made contributions that some seem to feel warrant a day to honor him. The question becomes why this should happen on the same day that we recognize a man who gave his life fighting for justice, voting rights, fair pay and fair treatment of all?”
Summerville says that no matter what, celebration of King will remain the same.
“Regardless of the outcome of the bill in the Legislature, we will continue to do as we have on most King holidays: volunteering to keep Dr. King’s dreams alive through programs and events, by sharing his message of love, standing against injustice, providing and sharing helpful information to others, and promoting voter registration and education,” Summerville says.
Love says the feedback he has received has largely been positive. He says that one woman did leave him a message saying she wished he’d leave the issue alone. Aside from that, he says, most of the people he has heard from directly, both black and white, have been supportive.
“I definitely take my hat off to Rep. Bell,” Love says. “This is a testament on the right thing to do.”
Contact Joseph via email (joseph@syncweekly.com) or tweet (@jpricebb)