Lawmaker files bill to end Confederate Heroes Day in Texas
Lawmaker files bill to end Confederate Heroes Day in Texas
Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D-Houston) held a virtual press conference to announce his filing of House Bill 36, which would abolish Confederate Heroes Day.
AUSTIN, Texas - For years, several Texas lawmakers have worked to eliminate Confederate Heroes Day.
The state holiday was formed in 1973 when lawmakers combined holidays honoring Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. They chose Lee’s birthday, January 19, the day after Martin Luther King Day. There is no reason to celebrate the confederacy at all, said Rep. Jarvis Johnson. The Houston Democrat says his great-great-grandfather fought for the confederacy because he was a white slave owner who raped his great-great-grandmother.