Many States Still Celebrate Confederate Holidays

We are living in an era of change right now. Many organizations and governments are recognizing the harmful nature of confederate monuments and memorials and are starting to remove them. One thing that seems to have escaped scrutiny so far, however, is the sheer number of confederate holidays celebrated in America. Some of these holidays are barely acknowledged by the states they are celebrated in, while others are well-known bank holidays. Either way, this is exactly the kind of underlying issue that keeps racism woven into the fabric of our nation. As long as state governments keep official holidays that celebrate racist and imperialist ideals, we know that those underlying issues have not been addressed.

What we choose to celebrate says a lot about who we are. We should choose holidays that bring joy into the world, things that represent progress and achievement. It's time to stop celebrating these relics of a bygone past that represent pain to so many people if we want to move forward as a united nation.

Find your state below to see if it still celebrates some of these holidays. 

*This article has been updated as of October 2023

Alabama

Robert E. Lee's Birthday - Celebrated on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Confederate Memorial Day - Celebrated on the fourth Monday in April

Jefferson Davis' Birthday - Celebrated on the first Monday in June.

A bill was introduced in 2019 by State Rep. John Rogers to attempt to separate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday. It failed to pass and is now "indefinitely postponed". Another bill was proposed in 2023 to remove Jefferson Davis' Birthday and replace it with State Employee Appreciation Day. It is still an open bill. 

Sign this petition to help end the combined holiday in Alabama in Mississippi.

*2024 Update: These holidays are still officially included in the State's Calendar. Contact state legislators to remove all confederate holidays from Alabama's Calendar.

Arkansas

Arkansas celebrated Robert E. Lee day along with Martin Luther King Jr. Day starting in 1985, but the practice was ended in 2017. 

*2024 Update: Arkansas no longer shows any confederate holidays celebrated as a public holiday. However, Jefferson Davis' Birthday, Robert E. Lee Day, Confederate Flag Day are all listed in the states statutes as Special Observances.

Florida

Robert E Lee’s Birthday - Celebrated January 19th

Confederate Heroes' Day - Celebrated on the 4th Monday in April

Jefferson Davis' Birthday - Celebrated on June 3rd

None of these holidays are actively celebrated in Florida. Employers do not give the day off and most people are not even aware that they are happening, yet the state of Florida still recognizes them as holidays.

*2024 Update: Florida's state statues still include these holidays, though they are not promoted or known to most. 

Attempts have been made to remove these holidays, but considering Florida is run by Conservative Republicans dominating the government, it is unlikely any bills to remove them will be approved. This article addresses the attempts.

Kentucky

Robert E. Lee Day - Celebrated on January 19th

Confederate Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis Day - Celebrated on June 3rd

These holidays are not widely celebrated, but they are still listed on the official list of Kentucky holidays. Some Politicians moved to remove these holidays from the books, but there has been no recent updates on those attempts. 

*2024 Update: These holidays are still included on the official list of Kentucky holidays

Mississippi

Robert E. Lee's Birthday - Celebrated on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Confederate Memorial Day - Celebrated on the last Monday in April

Jefferson Davis' Birthday - Celebrated on Memorial Day

Confederate Heritage Month - Many states have proclaimed April to be Confederate Heritage/History Month in past years, but Mississippi is the only state to have done it this recently, literally in 2020! They seem to want to double down and cement these days in. 

No effort has been made in Mississippi to separate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Robert E. Lee Day and the joint holiday was proclaimed by the governor just last year, giving Lee the first billing in the proclamation. You can sign this petition to end the combined holiday in Alabama in Mississippi. The city of Biloxi referred to the holiday as “Great American’s Day” in 2017.

*2024 Update: These holidays are still included on the official state calendar. Contact local Mississippi representatives to remove all of the confederate holidays from the Mississippi state calendar. 

North Carolina

Robert E. Lee’s Birthday - Celebrated on January 19th

Confederate Memorial Day - Celebrated on May 10th

North Carolina does not actively celebrate these holidays in any way, but they are still listed as holidays in the state*.

*2024 Update: The North Carolina Legislature State Statutes website still includes these days. 

South Carolina

Confederate Memorial Day - Celebrated on May 10th

This holiday is not actively celebrated in the whole state, but many South Carolina counties do chose to celebrate it.

*2024 Update: This holiday is still listed on South Carolina's Official State Calendar. 

Texas

Confederate Heroes' Day - Celebrated on January 19th 

Many people get this day off work in Texas. In 2019, some leaders pushed to have the holiday removed, but the bill was left pending. 

*2024 Update: still included in the State of Texas Official Calendar

Several states, including Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana, have already joined the 21st century and eliminated their confederate holidays. It also seems that Tennessee has joined and eliminated the days from all calendars. We couldn't find any news sources for this, but the days no longer appear in Tennessee's statutes or calendars.

Let’s put pressure on the rest of the states to join them.

Juneteenth is now a U.S. Federal Holiday - Now Let's Remove State Confederate Holidays

This article updated as of January 2024

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