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Lobby Day in Virginia: The Peaceful Protest That Wasn’t
The weekend leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day always brings out the worst of us waving confederate flags and holding hate rallies all over the country. Many states and municipalities have designated holidays throughout the weekend as well. Held to celebrate various Confederate “heroes” and the Confederacy itself; part of a long-running effort to minimize Black folks’ struggles, Black history, the civil rights act, and racial progress in general.
The rally in Virginia was no exception.
In Virginia, Lee/Jackson/King Day has an interesting history. The holiday under that name ran from 1984 through 2000. Then-Governor Jim Gilmore proposed splitting the holiday after debate arose about the incongruous nature of celebrating two Confederate generals on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Since then, the holidays are celebrated separately with Lee/Jackson Day held on the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day — the third Monday in January.
Prior to 1984, when the United States Congress declared Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday, Virginia celebrated MLK Day on New Year’s Day beginning in 1978. Robert E. Lee’s Birthday, however, has been a holiday in Virginia since 1889. In 1904, the legislature added Stonewall Jackson to the holiday creating Lee/Jackson Day (January 19).
