Lawmakers push to remove Confederate leaders' birthdays from public holidays; add Juneteenth

Florida’s list of legal holidays includes Confederate leaders’ birthdays and racist events in history, and Democrats in the state Legislature say it’s time to to get rid of them, once and for all.

In the 2021 legislative session beginning March 2, state lawmakers are not only pushing for legislation to end public holidays such as Confederate figures Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis and Confederate Memorial Day, but attempting to add Juneteenth as a public holiday.

Juneteenth, on June 19, marks a significant time in history, when the remaining enslaved African Americans in the United States were granted freedom in 1865.

State Sen. Lauren Book filed legislation this week that would remove Confederate holidays in the state, repeal “a provision relating to the mutilation of, or disrespect for, Confederate flags” and remove “the designations of the Birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis and Confederate Memorial Day as legal holidays.”

Read more: https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2021/02/11/lawmakers-push-to-remove-confederate-leaders-birthdays-from-public-holidays-add-juneteenth/