Celebrating the Dream: 7 Interesting Facts About MLK Jr. Day

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Monday, January 15, 2018

A Shared Holiday

Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument in Baltimore, Md. | (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday is recognized nationwide, a few Southern states have been known to add Confederate General Robert E. Lee to the observance.

Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi paired up the civil rights leader with the Confederate general for their observance, as General Lee's birthday falls on January 19.

Southern states already had a tradition of celebrating Lee's birthday, so King's was added to their annual observance, according to National Geographic.

For its part, Lee's home state of Virginia celebrated a holiday that featured Lee, King, and Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson until 2000.

"And until that year, MLK Day was an optional paid holiday in South Carolina, where state employees had to choose between MLK Day or three other Confederate holidays," explained National Geographic.