Texas Legislature

Texas Lawmakers Renew Push to Abolish ‘Confederate Heroes Day'

Lawmakers filed legislation for the third time to abolish the statewide holiday

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There is a renewed push to abolish a state holiday few Texans may know about: Confederate Heroes Day.

For the third legislative session, Democrat State Rep. Jarvis Johnson of Houston filed a bill to abolish it.

“The call now is to get rid of this harmful, hateful holiday,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday in Austin.

Joined by other Democrats including State Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas, who is sponsoring the bill in the Texas Senate, they called on colleagues to end the Texas holiday honoring confederate generals.

“Being dead and fighting for the wrong cause doesn’t make you a hero,” said Johnson. “What makes you a hero is if you see what’s right and you pursue it.”

Recognized every Jan. 19 to coincide with Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s birthday, state offices remain open but employees receive paid time off.

The holiday was passed by the legislature in 1973 and at the same time, statewide efforts to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. failed.

“I’m not surprised, but horrified,” said Dr. Michael Waters, pastor at Dallas’ Abundant Life A.M.E Church. “My hope is that this state legislature will do what is right and finally take away this holiday.”

Waters helped lead efforts to remove confederate monuments in Dallas including a statue of Lee from a city park in 2017.

“It’s not surprising to me that we have a state legislature that’s unwilling to tear down these holidays to confederate heroes and at the same time are willing to push politics to harm decedents of those who were enslaved.”

Previous legislation to abolish the statewide holiday has failed to make it out of committee, though past bills have received some Republican support.

Authors of the bills said it attracts more support each season and they remain hopeful this Jan. 19 will be the last time the holiday is recognized.

“This thing doesn’t belong on our books. It creates divisions,” said Johnson. “If you wouldn’t vote for supporting it now, how can you leave it on the books?”

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