Jim Hoeft over at Bearing Drift has an interesting proposal:
If Virginia is ever going to move beyond the days of racial prejudice and towards Jefferson’s more perfect union, where all men are truly created equal, then we must take action to alter this holiday.
Therefore, in an appeal to Governor Timothy M. Kaine and the General Assembly, please join in signing the following petition to end the observance of Lee-Jackson Day, and create a new holiday: Virginia Heritage Day.
If it is truly about “heritage, not hate,” then changing the holiday makes perfect sense. (The same argument is true for the use of another Confederate flag.)
So head on over and sign the petition.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
It is quite a bit of irony that Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King Jr. were born within 4 days of each other. Lee (1/19/1807) and MLK (1/15/1925), thus making the issue over Lee-Jackson Day and MLK Day a possibility. Changing the name from Lee-Jackson Day to anything else does a great disservice to a truly great man (An American that so loved his home state of Virginia, that he took up arms against his country) and all the people in this country that want to ignore our History (at least the bad part of it) and do away with an honor to a Great Virginian in the name of political corectness, really makes me wonder what is happenning to our Great Nation. Yes, Slavery was BAD and our Nation suffered the consequences of allowing it to exist within our borders, but Robert E. Lee was a man of Honor, who fought for his beloved state and not for Slavery.
I believe, and someone please correct me if I am wrong, that this is about more inclusiveness, not less.
It matters not about the Lee Mansion, that he freed his slaves before the war, that Jackson taught slaves in the basement of the church in Lexington. What does matter is perspective. If we fail to include all the heritage in Virginia, we really do a disservice to all of the history of Virginia.
There is arguably more history and heritage to celebrate in Virginia that one war, one man, two men, the entire Confederate effort.
Lots has been said over the last few days about this subject, lots of it alarmist. My favorite is the idea that somehow Christmas will be forever ruined if we do this terrible thing. As someone whom I respect replied, “Then Jesus was in favor of slavery?”. It is a horrible comparison, but not any more horrible or ridiculous than the conflation of Lee-Jackson Day with Christmas and the Easter Bunny.
I suggest we all learn to live together and to love one another, because we really don’t have anyone else. We love those around us mostly from an emotional loyalty.
Let’s not forget that there are others who have no ‘Heritage Day’, and I am not only talking about ancestors of slaves.
The key here is, do we love ourselves enough to be righteous in our beliefs and yet respect others’ as well?
Only time will tell.
Why can’t we have BOTH a Lee-Jackson Day, and a different date for Heritage Day?
Are they worthy of a holiday, like Washington, Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr?
I say that they are honored, and have been for some time, in this fashion is out od perspective with the overall history of Virginia.
Why segregate Lee and Jackson from the heritage of Virginia?
Curious, Lincoln and King are celebrated as Federal Holidays are they not? The State may recognize the holiday but they are Federal in origination right? Could you ever forsee a Federal Holiday that Virginians would not endorse or one in the future that would create controversy? Why segregate King from Malcolm X now that more and more works about him are being written by scholars in a better light?
You’re right, Mark — we should have Heritage MONTH (like Black History Month), and Lee-Jackson Day therein, just like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Zrii — Arizona does not recognize MLK Day.
Arizona *does* recognize MLK Day. Sorry, Zrii, you’ll have to move to . . . gosh, where *can* a person like you go?
Great now we should include a militant,drug dealer and convicted buglar in with MLK you are joking, the following is from the web site set up by Columbia University “Malcom X During World War II, the zoot-suited “Detroit Red” became a small-time hustler, burglar, and narcotics dealer in Harlem “
Like me, you mean a Virginian who just happens to African-American, educated at the great University of Virginia and is proudly Conservative in the tradition of Michael Steele. You konw your right—there is very few places for me to go I guess. I wonder why that is exactly? Could it be that you liberals reject any Black man who rejects your Party line. I guess I should be apologetic for why my Church rejects gay marriage and my fellow Baptists had the absurdity to stand up to the liberals in California.
As far as Malcolm X goes I think it was a reference to the fact in thirty years might the perception of that American be changed as well but I could be mistaken.
Zrii, you’re nothing special (if that’s who you really are – and I tend to think you’re not). That some black people can be ignorant hateful bigots, too, well . . . that isn’t news to anyone. Anyway, I think we’ve wrung out the remaining entertainment value, here. Now git.
Of course, don’t fit your little stereotype or fit quite right in your little box and be quiet we need not here from you. Let us just put you away in a corner and hope no one recognizes that you can think like an individual and not follow the herd. We would much rather have you just step in line right MB? I did not question your integrity, so i would appreciate you not question mine. Glad that I could be of some “entertainment value” to you.
You’re right MB — they finally passed it in 1992. (I am getting old.) They were the 49th State to do so.
Still, why not have a Virginia Heritage Month — let’s make it February — and Lee-Jackson Day can be a special day therein!
If Lee and Jackson should not be singled out in Virginia’s History and should be included into a Virginia Heritage Day, then why not forgoe the Martin Luther King, Jr. day as well…he obviosuly was just one man amoung many who represented civil rights changes in this country. He was a good man but not one so mighty and great that he should stand alone and have his own day amoung famous black men and women in our country…we are splitting hairs here folks…
Carla- Frederick Douglas comes to mind.
Yes he does…along with Harriet Tubman and many others who promoted the cause of freedom for blacks…of course…history fails to focus on the fact that there were many free blacks in the south during the war that had businesses and were quite profitable…there were also black confederate solidiers that fought for the south…there were also northerners that held slaves…this is an issue that is so complex and far ago…let history remain as it is…history…and let it speak for itself…Virginia is rich in our history and I feel we deserve the right to honor anyone in our history that led us to this day…we were the first to elect a black Governor, Mr. Wilder…can’t there be something to be said for how far we have come as a Commonweath? We honor Arthur Ashe with a statue…why not let our history honor a civil war soldier who defended our state? Citizens of Virginia…please unite…we are from one history that involves many races and many people…and God has blessed us with this diverse culture and we should all stand proud!