01.21.00

By April Duran

Whose holiday should come first?

That's the question being asked by some who disagree with Gov. Jim Gilmore's plan to create a second state holiday honoring Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. These men currently share the spotlight with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on a single state holiday.

"Virginia's history is one of many great Americans, and we are proud to honor them," Gilmore said this week in detailing his plan. "But the separate contributions and separate heroic deeds of these men warrant individual holidays."

Not everyone agrees with the idea of keeping the third Monday of January as the day reserved for King and moving the Confederates' day to the preceding Friday, thereby making a four-day weekend, as outlined in Gilmore's plan under consideration in the General Assembly.

Some think the generals should be honored on Monday, the federally designated holiday for King. That's what Robert "Red" Barbour, commander of the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, told television station WWBT, Richmond's NBC affiliate. He said Lee-Jackson Day is a Virginia holiday for Virginia heroes and should get the prime spot on the calendar.

Another member of the group cited history as reason for having the Confederate generals honored first.

"Our holiday is the older holiday," Brag Bowling, of Richmond, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I don't know if ours is necessarily the one to move."

The governor's plan tries to make it easier for state and local governments to concur with the federal holiday schedule.

"Dr. King has contributed so much to this Commonwealth and to this country," said Delegate Terrie L. Suit, R-Virginia Beach, one of the legislators sponsoring Gilmore's plan. "We wanted to honor (him) with an individual day … that would be consistent with the federal observance."

In his State of the Commonwealth speech last week and a press release this week, the governor said it's time to honor King and the Confederate icons with separate holidays.

"The combination of one holiday recognizing these men has caused confusion among our citizens and diminished the celebration of their contributions," Gilmore said.

The desire to honor the men on separate days seems to be supported by both parties, despite the additional expense to the state.

Suit has teamed up with Delegates William P. Robinson, D-Norfolk, and R. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan. The House members have formed a coalition on the legislation with Sens. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-Augusta; Louise L. Lucas, D-Portsmouth; and Stephen D. Newman, R-Lynchburg.

"I agree that all three have achieved greatness and characters worthy of our remembrance," Ware said.

The state Department of Planning and Budget estimates the cost of separating the holidays at $900,000. This includes overtime pay for employees of state agencies that must operate 24 hours a day, like state troopers, correctional officers and mental health care providers.

But supporters say the goal of honoring King and the Confederate leaders is worth the price tag. "It's important for all Virginians to remember men and women who have achieved greatness," Ware said. "It enriches all Virginians."