Gov. Hutchinson gives strongest endorsement yet of MLK Holiday, says time for state to move forward

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday (March 1) gave his strongest endorsement yet of a separate state Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, saying he would use the power of his office to work with the Legislature to ensure passage of such legislation filed by lawmakers from Northwest Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta.

Senate Bill 519 by Sen. David Wallace, R-Leachville, and Rep. Grant Hodges, R-Rogers, filed on Tuesday, would make the third Monday in January an official state holiday honoring only King. The second Saturday in October would be Robert E. Lee Day, not a holiday but one of Arkansas’ “state memorial days to be commemorated by gubernatorial proclamation,” the bill says.

“The purpose of me putting this emphasis … on this legislation is that I want to make the case to the people of Arkansas that this is important for us as a state,” Hutchinson told reporters at the Governor’s Conference Room. “And we’ve talked about it some, but we haven’t focused on the reasons that it is important. I believe this is important to us not just as a statement, but … as a mark in history that we recognize in its fullest degree the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King.”

Hutchinson told reporters and other lawmakers and policymakers gathered at the press conference that it was time to join the other 47 other states, besides Alabama and Mississippi, to celebrate MLK Day alone as a national holiday.

“It is a national holiday. … But in Arkansas, whenever that holiday was adopted, we in essence gave the people of Arkansas a choice. We said, ‘You can either celebrate the contributions of Dr. (King), or you can remember on the same day, Gen. Robert E. Lee.’”

The popular Republican governor said celebrating the MLK and Robert E. Lee holidays on the same day does a disservice to the memory of Dr. King, who should be admired and celebrated by all Americans. He said the people of Arkansas should not be forced to celebrate one holiday or the other.

“I believe that is a wrong choice, that is a bad choice, and sends the wrong signals to Arkansans and our young people,” he said. “That choice that is there divides us as a state and a nation. Dr. Martin Luther King has a legacy that is celebrated by African-Americans. But he (also) has a legacy that should be celebrated by all Americans.

BILL PASSAGE WILL BE TOUGH
Later in the press conference, Hutchinson admitted that getting the bill approved by the Legislature will be an “uphill battle.” An effort to separate the holidays in the 2015 session failed after it met strong and sometimes angry resistance in committee. Gov. Asa Hutchinson supported the bill but did not make it a top legislative priority as he has in the 2017 session. The governor will testify for the bill in the Senate Education Committee on Thursday (March 2).

Under the enabling legislation for SB519, the bill if passed would also require the commissioner of education to emphasize, as part of an already existing unit on African-American history, the work of American civil rights leaders, including King, “and his pursuit of justice in civil society.” The material would be taught alongside corresponding state and federal holidays.

It also requires the Department of Education to develop materials relating to Arkansas and the Civil War. The material would emphasize “civilian and military leadership during the period and how the lessons of that era can inform contemporary society.” Hutchinson said the bill would not dictate what would be taught, but said he would leave it to state education officials, historians and teachers.

Hutchinson also thanked the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus for helping draft the bill and working with his office to come up with the measure he believes most lawmakers will support. The governor said he hopes pushing MLK Day through the general assembly will be an event Arkansans will be able to reflect on as a pivotal moment of mutual respect and unity in state history.

“I think this is important for us as a state to accomplish. I am asking the Arkansas General Assembly to support this legislation as it proceeds through the legislative process,” he said. “I recognize this is not easy. I recognize this is an uphill battle but it is the right thing to do for our state, and that’s the reason I am asking for that support.”

STATE IMAGE ISSUE
Hutchinson said he has met quietly with a number of lawmakers over the past 18 months to lobby support for SB519, but also acknowledged legislators won’t back the bill. And although he was not motivated by economic development and image concerns to make SB519 a legislative priority in the 2017 session, Hutchinson did say he’s had conversations with international business executives who admitted that attracting highly skilled workers to Arkansas was an issue.

“The image of the state has something to do with the ability to attract top talent here, and it’s a broad ranging image that we need to cherish,” he said. “We have an image as the Natural State, and we have an important history in the civil rights movement. I would like to think we are remembered by the Little Rock Nine that are outside on the Capitol grounds and their monument to them and their legacy.”

Hutchinson did say he would support a day of remembrance for Robert E. Lee, but not a state holiday. He said Arkansas students can learn about history of the military leaders during the Civil War era.

“You learn from their successes, you learn from their failures and mistakes and we try to apply those principles in today’s life,” he said. “Robert E. Lee was a leading general of the South and he would certainly be in that mix as a historic figure. He will not have a state holiday, but he will have a day of remembrance …”

‘DIFFERENT CHAPTERS’ IN HISTORY
After the press conference, MLK Commission Executive Director Dushun Scarbrough read a statement in support of the SB519. Scarbrough said Dr. King and Robert E. Lee were important to the state, but said the time was right to separate the holidays.

“Both men have historical value and each in his own time represent very different chapters in American history,” he said. “The MLK Commission commends Gov. Hutchinson on wanting to separate the joint celebrations.”

Rep. Hodges, the House sponsor, mentioned a Talk Business & Politics poll showing that a plurality of Arkansans support separating the two holidays. He said the timing for filing the bill was right because much of the governor’s agenda and the legislature’s top policy issues have been approved in the eighth week of the session.

“We saw the bill last session, and there were some opponents, some vocal opponents,” he said. “I support the bill and I think this is the right time in the session to run the bill.”

As of today, SB519 has been referred to the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock.