Arkansas governor: Taking Lee off King holiday uphill fight
LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday he expects an uphill battle pushing to remove Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., but said the move is needed to unify the state and help its image.
The Republican called a bill he's championing to give King the holiday to himself an education measure, citing provisions requiring the state to expand what's taught in public schools about civil rights and the Civil War. Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi are the only three states to commemorate both men on the third Monday in January.
"This would not only be the right thing to do and would help us to unify the state and bring us together, but I do believe it would help 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," Hutchinson said at a news conference.
An effort to end the dual holiday failed repeatedly before a House committee two years ago, with opponents claiming the move would belittle the state's Confederate heritage. Hutchinson said he couldn't guarantee the same result.
"There's no guarantee this is going to get through a committee. There's no guarantee it's going to pass the Legislature," Hutchinson said. "All I can do is express my support for it and say I believe it is the right thing to do for the people of this state."
The bill won support Wednesday from the Legislative Black Caucus, though some members had expressed reservations earlier this year about the prospect of another day being set aside to commemorate Lee. The measure designates the second Saturday in October to honor Lee with a memorial day that would commemorated by gubernatorial proclamation.
Democratic Rep. Vivian Flowers, who chairs the caucus, said the group wanted to see some changes to education provisions to make sure it didn't limit what was taught about civil rights or to only link those lessons to the holiday.
"I can't imagine why anyone would not support legislation that upholds the intent of the holiday as a federal and a state holiday and why we would make it murky by also recognizing someone else," Flowers said.
The bill, which could go before a Senate panel as early as Thursday morning, is drawing opposition from the same groups that filled a committee room to oppose the 2015 effort.
"Now we can't celebrate the accomplishments of two men on the same day because they're different races," said Robert Edwards, commander of the Arkansas division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. "If that's not a racist act, then what is a racist act?"