Three states observing Confederate holiday next week

JACKSON, Miss. — State government offices in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia will be closed Monday for Confederate Memorial Day.
 
The holiday has been observed for decades, although there are only a few ceremonies in each state. Critics say it’s time to rethink the practice of recognizing the Old South.
 
Mississippi NAACP president Derrick Johnson says Confederate Memorial Day is ``an affront’‘ to people whose ancestors were enslaved.
 
But the Alabama commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Robert Reames, says it’s proper to recognize the sacrifices of people he believes ``legally seceded from the United States.‘’
 
Other southern states, from South Carolina to Texas, have different holidays to honor the Confederacy.