Lily-White History Haunts Howard

[wyldwolf]

It took until 2001 for Vermont to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday as a full-fledged holiday and shut state offices in his honor - and only after the state Legislature forced then-Gov. Howard Dean to cut a deal with state unions, records show.

Vermont recognized an unofficial King holiday in 1986 (before Dean became governor) but state offices stayed open. In 2000, the state Legislature threatened to pass a law mandating that offices shut unless Dean and the unions cut a deal. The deal took effect in 2001.

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/15601.htm

Isn't this the second instance of the state legislature effectively forcing Dean to take action on a civil rights-related issue?

[Clark4VotingRights]

1. Yup.

"Isn't this the second instance of the state legislature effectively forcing Dean to take action on a civil rights-related issue?"

Gay marriage was another.

But Arizona was the last state to adopt MLK holiday I think.

[Gore1FL]

2. That isn't civil rights -- it is labor

a day off vs a non day off is the issue at hand. Not whether or not MLK should be recognized.

How many states get a day off for MLK? We don't in MO.

What was the first issue?