Mississippi city renames 'Great Americans Day' to honor MLK

BILOXI, MS -- A Mississippi city has decided to ditch "Great Americans Day" and rename it to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

The Biloxi City Council voted 6-0 to make the change Monday. The Sun Herald reports the vote came moments before the beginning of an annual parade honoring the slain civil rights leader.

Monday was a federal holiday and was recognized in most of the United States as MLK Day. In three states - Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas - the holiday has a dual designation honoring King and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The change follows an uproar on social media that erupted after a Biloxi spokesman posted that city offices would be closed for Great Americans Day. The name came from a city ordinance adopted in 1985.