The Leader

Two birthdays celebrated

Cabot Alderman Jerry Stephens defends his display of Confederate flags and a local resident dressed in a Confederate uniform in front of his store.

BY JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer

___One of Cabot's new city council members celebrated the Martin Luther King/Robert E. Lee day with Confederate flags in front of his business and a local resident dressed in a Confederate uniform.
___ Many don't know that Arkansas is one of the states that celebrates the two birthdays together. King's birthday observance is a state and federal holiday, Lee's birthday is a state holiday.
___ "I have nothing against Mr. King," said E.J. Hart, who dressed in his rebel uniform. "I'm celebrating Robert E. Lee. We have as much right as they do‹the blacks or whoever.
___ "There's doughnuts and coffee inside," said Hart, who was playing "Dixie" on a stereo outside. He said he was a colonel in the Confederate Army out of North Carolina re-enactors. "I had three great-great- grandfathers who fought in that war," he said. He said it was the second year he had put his flags up in front of the hardware store and once at the Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery.
___ A city resident who drove by Southside Hardware and saw the flags contacted the Leader, saying the flags were offensive, especially considering that Jerry Stephens represents the city now.
___ It isn't right to insult Cabot's black residents by flying the flags on the day when the country's most famous civil rights leader is honored, said the woman who asked not to be identified.
___ Admittedly, the city doesn't have many black residents, she said, but the few who do call Cabot home shouldn't be exposed to such racism.
___ Alderman Stephens makes no apologies. Lee's birthday is a state holiday, and the Civil War and the sacrifices of its soldiers should be remembered, he says. The Civil War is a big part of Southern history and even a part of his family history, he said.
___ His lineage includes Alexander Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America, according to a cousin's research of the Stephens family tree. As for the charge that the Confederate flag is racist, Stephens takes umbrage.
___ The flag is a symbol of the states that seceded from the union and set up their own nation, not a symbol of slavery, he says. The war wasn't really about slavery anyway, it was about states' rights, he insists.
___ "History books teach that," he said. Stephens said Monday that he was criticized last year when he flew a Confederate flag in honor of Lee, and he isn't about to stop now because he has been elected to the city council.
___ On Tuesday, after his celebration had made the news on local radio and television stations, he still wasn't backing down.
___ "[The celebration] wasn't planned to conflict with anything," he said. "We feel like we have a right to celebrate Robert E. Lee's birthday just like other people have the right to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday."
___ In fact, he said, business was exceptionally good on Monday, and he and his employees at the hardware store are thinking about making the celebration an annual event, complete with a live band.
___ Former Alderman James Moore, who lost his seat on the council to Stephens, said he believes Stephens' display was likely harmful to race relations in Cabot as well as the housing industry that he is a part of.
___ Robert E. Lee's birthday has been observed in Arkansas since at least 1907, according to state Capitol Historian David Ware.
___ The holiday was reaffirmed in 1943, he said. In1983, the act was amended to recognize King's birthday.
___ At that time, state employees were permitted to take as holidays two of the three following: King's birthday, Lee's birthday and the employee's birthday. Ware said that two years later, the legislators simplified matters by combining the King and Lee observances and designated as a state holiday the third Monday in January. "If a real estate agent was showing a black couple a home in Cabot yesterday and they drove past that, do you think they bought in Cabot?" he asked. "Do we not want black people in Cabot? Is this what we're saying?" he asked.
___ Moore made his statements following an early morning meeting of the Cabot Advertising and Promotion Commission, where he and Alderman Tom Armstrong were honored with plaques for their two years of service on the commission.
___ Armstrong agreed with Moore that the display was in bad taste. "Cabot is changing," Armstrong said. "We have all kinds of people but we're all Americans. Let's grow up and act like it."

One of Cabot's new city council members celebrated the Martin Luther King/Robert E. Lee day with Confederate flags in front of his business and a local resident dressed in a Confederate uniform.
___ Many don't know that Arkansas is one of the states that celebrates the two birthdays together. King's birthday observance is a state and federal holiday, Lee's birthday is a state holiday.
___ "I have nothing against Mr. King," said E.J. Hart, who dressed in his rebel uniform. "I'm celebrating Robert E. Lee. We have as much right as they do‹the blacks or whoever.

	Two birthdays celebrated Cabot Alderman Jerry Stephens defends his display of Confederate flags and a local resident dressed in a Confederate uniform in front of his store. BY JOAN MCCOY Leader staff writer ___One of Cabot's new city council members celebrated the Martin Luther King/Robert E. Lee day with Confederate flags in front of his business and a local resident dressed in a Confederate uniform. ___ Many don't know that Arkansas is one of the states that celebrates the two birthdays together. King's birthday observance is a state and federal holiday, Lee's birthday is a state holiday. ___ "I have nothing against Mr. King," said E.J. Hart, who dressed in his rebel uniform. "I'm celebrating Robert E. Lee. We have as much right as they do‹the blacks or whoever. ___ "There's doughnuts and coffee inside," said Hart, who was playing "Dixie" on a stereo outside. He said he was a colonel in the Confederate Army out of North Carolina re-enactors. "I had three great-great- grandfathers who fought in that war," he said. He said it was the second year he had put his flags up in front of the hardware store and once at the Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery. ___ A city resident who drove by Southside Hardware and saw the flags contacted the Leader, saying the flags were offensive, especially considering that Jerry Stephens represents the city now. ___ It isn't right to insult Cabot's black residents by flying the flags on the day when the country's most famous civil rights leader is honored, said the woman who asked not to be identified. ___ Admittedly, the city doesn't have many black residents, she said, but the few who do call Cabot home shouldn't be exposed to such racism. ___ Alderman Stephens makes no apologies. Lee's birthday is a state holiday, and the Civil War and the sacrifices of its soldiers should be remembered, he says. The Civil War is a big part of Southern history and even a part of his family history, he said. ___ His lineage includes Alexander Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America, according to a cousin's research of the Stephens family tree. As for the charge that the Confederate flag is racist, Stephens takes umbrage. ___ The flag is a symbol of the states that seceded from the union and set up their own nation, not a symbol of slavery, he says. The war wasn't really about slavery anyway, it was about states' rights, he insists. ___ "History books teach that," he said. Stephens said Monday that he was criticized last year when he flew a Confederate flag in honor of Lee, and he isn't about to stop now because he has been elected to the city council. ___ On Tuesday, after his celebration had made the news on local radio and television stations, he still wasn't backing down. ___ "[The celebration] wasn't planned to conflict with anything," he said. "We feel like we have a right to celebrate Robert E. Lee's birthday just like other people have the right to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday." ___ In fact, he said, business was exceptionally good on Monday, and he and his employees at the hardware store are thinking about making the celebration an annual event, complete with a live band. ___ Former Alderman James Moore, who lost his seat on the council to Stephens, said he believes Stephens' display was likely harmful to race relations in Cabot as well as the housing industry that he is a part of. ___ Robert E. Lee's birthday has been observed in Arkansas since at least 1907, according to state Capitol Historian David Ware. ___ The holiday was reaffirmed in 1943, he said. In1983, the act was amended to recognize King's birthday. ___ At that time, state employees were permitted to take as holidays two of the three following: King's birthday, Lee's birthday and the employee's birthday. Ware said that two years later, the legislators simplified matters by combining the King and Lee observances and designated as a state holiday the third Monday in January. "If a real estate agent was showing a black couple a home in Cabot yesterday and they drove past that, do you think they bought in Cabot?" he asked. "Do we not want black people in Cabot? Is this what we're saying?" he asked. ___ Moore made his statements following an early morning meeting of the Cabot Advertising and Promotion Commission, where he and Alderman Tom Armstrong were honored with plaques for their two years of service on the commission. ___ Armstrong agreed with Moore that the display was in bad taste. "Cabot is changing," Armstrong said. "We have all kinds of people but we're all Americans. Let's grow up and act like it." One of Cabot's new city council members celebrated the Martin Luther King/Robert E. Lee day with Confederate flags in front of his business and a local resident dressed in a Confederate uniform. ___ Many don't know that Arkansas is one of the states that celebrates the two birthdays together. King's birthday observance is a state and federal holiday, Lee's birthday is a state holiday. ___ "I have nothing against Mr. King," said E.J. Hart, who dressed in his rebel uniform. "I'm celebrating Robert E. Lee. We have as much right as they do‹the blacks or whoever.