The internet just can't believe what this Mississippi city calls MLK Day
A Mississippi city was at the center of Twitter rage Friday after calling Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by another name.
While announcing municipal offices would be closed Monday, the city of Biloxi's official Twitter and Facebook accounts said the absence was due to "Great Americans Day."
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No mention of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, which is celebrated as a national holiday honoring the man who fought for civil rights before he was assassinated in 1968.
Then came the Twitter hate. So much hate.
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City officials balked at the relentless online rage, pointing to state rules that call for the double-duty observance of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's and King's birthdays on the same day. It looks like since 1987 the state has been combining the two birthdays in what is obviously not a logical combination. But a notice detailing observed state holidays on the Secretary of State's website doesn't mention "Great Americans Day." Although, a city ordinance does.
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The city also pointed out it honors and celebrates King with a parade and other events, but that didn't put out the blaze.
Nearly three hours after the initial tweet, the city sent another message, this one from the mayor.
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But it wasn't enough and the drama continued into the night. At this rate, the online responses will keep coming way past the holiday, no matter what you call it.
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Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
