Alabama takes holiday for Confederate leader's birthday



MONTGOMERY — Many Alabama state offices are closed today for Jefferson Davis' birthday.

Alabama has an official state holiday, celebrated this year on June 5, for the birthday of the president of the Confederacy. It is one of three state holidays honoring Confederate figures.

Alabama has Confederate Memorial Day in the spring. The state marks Robert E. Lee's birthday jointly with the holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Some states have dropped the Confederate commemorations and references.

Arkansas in March ended the joint King-Lee commemoration. Georgia in 2015 renamed Confederate Memorial Day to "State Holiday."

Then-Alabama Gov. Bob Riley in 2004 proposed merging the observances of Confederate Memorial Day and Davis' birthday into one holiday to save money. He dropped the idea amid criticism from Confederate heritage groups.