Alabama residents were in for a strange surprise on Jan. 16 when they used Google search to find the hours of local businesses. Instead of the expected message stating that Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, they were alerted of a different holiday: Robert E Lee’s Birthday.
Alabama is one of three states who combines Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E Lee’s birthdays into one holiday, despite the fact that they were not born on the same day. Robert E Lee was born on Jan. 19, 1807, while Martin Luther King Jr was born on Jan. 15, 1929.
This combined holiday is one of the three Confederate-related holidays on Alabama’s annual calendar.
This discovery comes as a shock to many, considering the stark contrasts between King and Lee. King was a famous leader of the Civil Rights Movement, who used nonviolent protests to fight for equality among races. Lee was a general for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Many people consider this lumping together of holidays for two men on the opposite sides of history a slap in the face to the Civil Rights Movement. Several anti-integration, southern states combined the two holidays to resist seeing King as a hero when MLK Day was first created, according to National Geographic.
Prior to 1986, Robert E Lee Day was observed on his actual birthday, Jan. 19. When Congress passed a bill making MLK Day a federal holiday, the state moved Robert E Lee Day to the third Monday of January to be the same day as MLK Day.
Since then, the majority of southern states have either separated the two holidays or done away with Robert E Lee Day entirely. Efforts have been made to separate the holidays in Alabama in the past, but no progress has been made.
Auburn University students reacted strongly on social media to Google’s preference of Robert E Lee day over MLK Day for Alabama business hours.
This Google search message has also gone viral in Mississippi and Arkansas, the other two states where this holiday is observed. On Google’s search system, state holidays are given preference over federal holidays, which is why Robert E Lee Day is showing up for people in these states.
Google has since apologized for the occurrence, according to AL.com.
@MakeItReign1 omg is this real
— Katie DuPre' (@ktdupre) January 15, 2017
Alabama, are you for real? pic.twitter.com/w8TgcCJuNJ
— Mary Jo (@maaryjo96) January 16, 2017
You know you're in Alabama when pic.twitter.com/USvdRIewdF
— Meagan (@lilmacmeow) January 16, 2017
You know you go to Auburn when "Robert E Lee's birthday" might affect the rec center's hours today....... .... pic.twitter.com/eDzQRfinH5
— Tori Brown (@Tori_Brownn) January 16, 2017
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Gabby Dance, senior in journalism with a minor in women's studies, is the assistant campus editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
