State moves to separate Robert E. Lee and MLK.
LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas has taken a first step toward celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday in January and honoring Robert E. Lee in the fall rather than the current practice of recognizing both men on the same day in January.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday made the unusual move of testifying before a legislative committee. He says King should be celebrated separately for his civil rights accomplishments, and that Lee fought for the wrong side in the Civil War.
Hutchinson told the panel about discovering that his great- great grandfather fought for the Confederacy during the war.
"There's one part of this education bill that creates some controversy and that is separating the holiday of Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King. I support this both from the standpoint of what is said should be taught in our public schools about the history, about the leadership, about the individuals, both in the Civil War era, but also in the civil rights era. And I support this because from the Civil War until 1947, we did just fine without a state holiday for Robert E. Lee," Hutchinson said to the committee.
Hutchinson said celebrating King's contributions to the country is a recognition that deserves its own day. He said Sen. David Wallace's proposed bill does not diminish life and work of other people in history.
"Having a slave owner's birthday celebrated on that same day is not right, and we need to make this right," Wallace said.
Arkansas is one of three states to recognize King and Lee on the same day. Alabama and Mississippi also do so.