Holiday renaming
Legislation to rename Confederate Flag Day to Arkansas Day advanced from a House committee on Wednesday.
The sponsor, House Majority Leader Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, said House Bill 1916 doesn’t affect Arkansans’ ability to memorialize Confederate soldiers or participate in Civil War reenactments on that day, which is the Saturday immediately before Easter.
McCollum said Confederate Flag Day wasn’t put into state law immediately after the Civil War, but instead in response to events in the 1950s that included the Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis.
“This isn’t a reflection of history, this is a reflection of racism that was rampant in that day,” committee member Rep. Justin Gonzales, R-Okolona, who voted for the bill, said.
Committee member Rep. Nelda Speaks, R-Mountain Home, who voted against the bill, asked why McCollum and proponents of the bill didn’t choose a different day for Arkansas Day. McCollum said some lawmakers felt changing the date would send the wrong message to people who like participating in reenactments on that day.
According to the legislation, “Arkansas Day shall be a day to reflect on the rich history, national treasures, diverse cultures, unmatched hospitality, shared spirit, and human resilience that make the people of this state proud to be Arkansans.”
The committee sent the bill to the full House on a 13-3 roll call vote, with three lawmakers not voting.