Thursday, March 27, 2025

Virginia lawmaker vote to scrap Lee-Jackson holiday

Virginia lawmakers have voted to scrap the state’s Lee-Jackson holiday celebrating two Confederate generals and replacing it with one on Election Day.

The House on Monday approved legislation that has already cleared the Senate, moving it on to Governor Ralph Northam desk. Lee-Jackson Day, established over 100 years ago, is observed annually on the Friday preceding the third Monday in January.

It honors Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Both were native Virginians. Critics of the Lee-Jackson holiday view it as a celebration of the state’s slave-holding history.  

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