Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has faced a wave of criticism for his failure to act quickly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and the scrutiny of his office has only increased because of another action Reeves took at the end of last week.
Just two days after he finally issued a stay-at-home order for Mississippi, much later than most other states, the Republican governor also declared the month of April to be "Confederate Heritage Month," which includes a legal holiday meant to "honor those who served" in the army that committed treason against the U.S. and caused over a million American casualties in an attempt to preserve their heinous system of slavery.
Reeves' order, signed on Friday, has precedent in a 2016 order given by his predecessor, though the Jackson Free Press notes that the current governor's order appears to incorrectly blame the Union and Confederacy equally for the destruction caused by the war, despite the fact that the Confederacy began the conflict by firing on South Carolina's Fort Sumter. Additionally, Reeves' actions are colored by his historical ties to pro-Confederate groups, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Kappa Alpha Order, a fraternity known for its reverence of Robert E. Lee.
While lieutenant governor in 2013, according to the Jackson Free Press, Reeves spoke at a SCV event that also included a speaker who compared the Union army to Nazis. And while he was in college, members of KAO wore blackface and posed for photos with Confederate iconography. (Reeves denied wearing blackface but admitted he attended Confederate-themed parties when the photos were unearthed.)
Reeves has not commented on his order since it became public knowledge.
