Monday is Confederate Memorial Day. Why does MS still celebrate it?

Mississippi is one of only a handful of states that still pauses government work to honor the Confederacy — a tradition that has survived decades of debate, repeated legislative challenges and shifting public attitudes.

Gov. Tate Reeves has again declared April Confederate Heritage Month, and the state will observe Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of the month, giving public employees the day off.

Several Southern states continue to mark Confederate Memorial Day in some form. Only four still recognize it as a holiday for state workers, according to state records and historical accounts.

In Mississippi, lawmakers have made multiple attempts to end the observance or replace it with Juneteenth, a federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States. Those efforts have repeatedly failed.

Each year, the holiday draws renewed debate. The Clarion Ledger regularly receives messages arguing that Mississippi’s Confederate soldiers were simply answering a call to defend their state. While individual motivations varied and many soldiers did not own enslaved people, historians agree on the broader cause of the war: slavery.

Here’s what we know about Confederate Memorial Day, when Mississippi observes it and which other Confederate holidays remain on the state calendar.

What is Confederate Memorial Day?

Confederate Memorial Day was created in Georgia on April 26, 1866, according to the History Channel. It honored the deaths of Southern soldiers on the first anniversary of the day that Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee to Union Gen. William Sherman at Bennett Place, North Carolina.

Gen. Robert E. Lee had surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant two weeks earlier at Appomattox Court House. Johnston, however, stayed in the field with almost 90,000 soldiers even after Lee laid down arms.

The holiday later spread across the South, with states choosing dates tied to local events or leaders.

When will Mississippi celebrate Confederate Memorial Day in 2026?

Mississippi state offices will close on Monday, April 27, 2026, as part of the official holiday calendar.

Bills proposed dropping Mississippi Confederate Memorial Day

Lawmakers have repeatedly introduced legislation to remove Confederate Memorial Day from Mississippi’s list of state holidays.

During the 2026 session, a bill proposed replacing the holiday with Juneteenth Freedom Day. Senate Bill 2574 died in committee.

The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Derrick T. Simmons, who has introduced similar legislation nearly every year during his tenure. In 2024, Simmons said he believed Mississippi might be ready for the change after voters replaced the state flag in 2020. The previous design included the Confederate battle emblem.

A separate Senate resolution reaffirming Confederate Memorial Day was referred to committee and does not appear to have advanced during the session.

Why did Mississippi join the Confederacy?

Mississippi formally seceded from the United States on Jan. 15, 1861, according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

The state’s Declaration of Immediate Causes leaves little ambiguity about the reason. The document explicitly identifies slavery as the primary motivation for leaving the Union, stating that Mississippi’s position was “thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery.”

The words “slavery” or “slave” appear repeatedly throughout the document, along with references to the economic dependence on forced labor.

Which states still honor Confederate Memorial Day?

Confederate Memorial Day is still celebrated across much of the South. Not all places treat it as a government holiday.

Mississippi observes it on the last Monday in April. Alabama and Florida also mark it on the fourth Monday in April, but only Alabama closes state offices.

Texas observes its state holiday on Jan. 19.

North and South Carolina recognize May 10, with state offices closing only in South Carolina.

Kentucky and Tennessee honor Civil War dead on June 3, with Tennessee calling it Confederate Decoration Day.

Mississippi celebrates three Confederate holidays

Confederate Memorial Day is one of three state holidays in Mississippi tied to the Confederacy.

When the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was adopted in the 1980s, Mississippi lawmakers added it to an existing holiday honoring Gen. Robert E. Lee. Many Southern states initially followed that model but later separated the observances. Most, including Lee’s home state of Virginia, have since stopped celebrating Lee’s birthday.

Mississippi has so far declined to do so. Alabama is now the only other state that continues to combine the two holidays.

Mississippi also observes a state holiday honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis, paired with Memorial Day at the end of May. Alabama celebrates it on the first Monday in June.