Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and today, Tuesday is Confederate Heroes Day.
The latter is a state paid holiday. And state representative Shawn Thierry of Houston has filed a bill that says this should be the last year it is acknowledged. "I say it is really the biggest misnomer of all holidays, because Confederates were not heroes. That's just fact. If anything, it should be called insurrection and traitor's day."
She calls the holiday the "hero worshipping of white supremacy. It is time to turn the page in Texas."
Two senate bills have also been filed as well to eliminate this state paid holiday. The holiday honors Robert E Lee and Jefferson Davis, and Thierry notes neither were Texans. "We have more than enough worthy heroes to truly honor in the state of Texas and these were not heroes. There's no way around it. The Confederates fought against our country, they fought to overthrow the government and they fought for the enslavement of Black Americans."
Representative Jarvis Johnson and state senator Nathan Johnson have both filed bills as well to get rid of the holiday.
This legislation has been filed several times over the years. "The time is right now because we've seen what insurrection can do when left unchecked. I think it's all the more timely given what we witnessed at the US Capitol. It makes it all the more urgent."
Eight other states also have a day honoring the Confederacy.