(AP) – An effort to end Arkansas' practice of commemorating
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same holiday as slain civil rights leader
Martin Luther King Jr. is heading to a final vote in the Legislature.
The House Education Committee on Tuesday endorsed the proposal to remove Lee
from the King holiday. Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi are the only three
states to honor the two on the same day.
The bill would set aside another day in October to honor Lee, but not a state
holiday. It also calls for expanding what's taught in Arkansas schools about the
Civil War and civil rights.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged the committee to advance the bill, saying
the move was needed to unify the state and improve its image.
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same holiday as slain civil rights leader
Martin Luther King Jr. is heading to a final vote in the Legislature.
The House Education Committee on Tuesday endorsed the proposal to remove Lee
from the King holiday. Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi are the only three
states to honor the two on the same day.
The bill would set aside another day in October to honor Lee, but not a state
holiday. It also calls for expanding what's taught in Arkansas schools about the
Civil War and civil rights.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged the committee to advance the bill, saying
the move was needed to unify the state and improve its image.
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