No Confederate Memorial Day in Mississippi’s Lee County

Published 11:31 am Monday, March 22, 2021

TUPELO (AP) — A Mississippi county named for a Confederate military officer is choosing not to observe Confederate Memorial Day.

Lee County supervisors have voted to give county employees a holiday on Good Friday instead.

Lee County is named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

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Bill Benson, who doubles as Lee County chancery clerk and county administrator, said state law allows counties to move one holiday per year.

“And ever since that statute has been in place, the board has always moved Confederate Memorial Day, which is the last Monday in April, to have the holiday on Good Friday,” Benson said.

Benson said the change is good for everyone.

“That works well for employees who have children out of school, they’re off on that day,” he said. “The general public understands and a lot of those folks are off, too.”