This is where I put things I like in black boxes

birdsong4j: This is riddled with falsehoods, just sayin’.

Robert E. Lee Day was celebrated since the late 1800s, because Lee was a famous Virginian whose birthday fell in mid-January.

(He was also infamously pro-Union & anti-Civil War, but chose to side with his state when VA joined the Confederacy.)

Jackson was added on a bit later (again, famous (and widely considered to be a brilliant) Virginia general whose birthday was right around Lee’s, so they merged the holiday).

Virginia also celebrated Martin Luther King’s birthday (in conjunction with New Years Day) before MLK Day was officially declared a federal holiday (five years before, to be exact).

The holidays were merged when MLK Day was made a holiday in 1983, but this hasn’t been the case for 12 years (for the obvious reasons).

Now, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated in VA as per usual with the rest of the country, and Lee-Jackson Day is the preceding Friday.

So while some may feel it’s inappropriate to celebrate Lee and Jackson alongside King, let me reiterate: that is NOT how my home state currently does things, and hasn’t been for quite some time.

I read that Lee-Jackson day existed before it was merged into Lee-Jackson-King day, and it’s fine as its own holiday. As you pointed out though, I just think it’s inappropriate to celebrate the three together. I’m aware that Lee felt duty bound to defend his state and was an alleged abolitionist, but if his military prowess had helped the Confederates win it’s very possible he would have contributed to a southern United States where slavery would have been legal for a long time. I still see him as being on “the other side” even if he was a good guy, but that’s a debate for another time.

I wasn’t aware that Virginia celebrated MLK’s birthday on New Year’s. That’s great, but it still seems like combining a national celebration of MLK with other figures that were opposed (albeit indirectly) to his vision is at the worst an attempt not to truly recognize the holiday and at least in bad taste. Obviously I don’t know as much about it as you do, but either way I find it kind of outrageous.

Also, I never claimed that MLK Day still wasn’t being observed today. As you said, MLK has been its own holiday in Virginia for 12 years. I’m sorry that I was incorrect in implying he wasn’t celebrated at all until the holidays were separated, but I wrote that the first celebration corresponding to the national holiday, exclusively honoring MLK, occurred in 2000, which is true.

On an unrelated note, I don’t think I ever asked you after the party: Was your car okay?

(Source: stfuconservatives)

Posted 4 months ago — 302 notes