Texas lawmakers renew fight to end Confederate Heroes Day

There’s a new push to abolish a public holiday that few Texans may know about: Confederate Heroes’ Day.

In the third legislative session, Democratic Rep. Jarvis Johnson of Houston filed a bill to repeal it.

“Now the challenge is to get rid of this harmful, hateful holiday,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday in Austin.

Together with other Democrats, including State Senator 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.

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

Recognized that each January 19th coincides with the birthday of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, state offices remain open but employees receive paid leave.

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

“I’m not surprised, I’m horrified,” said Dr. Michael Waters, pastor of Abundant Life Dallas AME Church. “I hope this state legislature does the right thing and finally cancels this holiday.”

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

“It doesn’t surprise me that we have a state legislature that is unwilling to cancel these holidays for confederate heroes and at the same time is willing to push politics to hurt the descendants of those who were enslaved.”

Previous legislation to abolish the national holiday failed to get beyond the committee, although past bills have received some Republican support.

The sponsors of the bills said it is gaining more support with each season, and they remain hopeful that January 19 will be the last time the holiday is recognized.

“This thing has no place in our books. It creates division,” Johnson said. “If you don’t vote to support him now, how can you leave him on the books?”