# Organizers of Memorial Day event silence remarks about freed slaves honouring Civil War dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 5, 2021, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673 "2021-06-05T13:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/1 "2021-06-05T13:58:14Z")
AP article from Ohio: American Legion organisers of a Memorial Day event cut the microphone of a retired LtCol when he starts telling how freed slaves honoured 200 Civil War dead by giving them a proper burial. After being silenced, the LtCol said “This is not the same country I fought for.” The Ohio Legion is investigating the episode. > **[Audio cut in speech on Black people’s role in Memorial Day](https://apnews.com/article/sc-state-wire-lifestyle-memorial-day-race-and-ethnicity-f649e76fd5ae6140d501ac9dc0cac380)** > > HUDSON, Ohio (AP) — Organizers of a Memorial Day ceremony turned off a speaker’s microphone when the former U.S. Army officer began talking about how freed Black slaves had honored fallen soldiers soon after the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/2 "2021-06-05T14:08:28Z")
It appears the American Legion is de-activating that particular Legion post as a result, per the NYT. I’m glad it seems they’re taking strong action. It truly reflects poorly on the AL, but it’s really a reflection on just how well entrenched racism is in US culture. Mention black vets celebrating the first Memorial Day? Cut the mike! Horrible. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/3 "2021-06-05T14:37:01Z")
Really a depressing story, but it sounds like it might mostly be about Cindy Suchan being prejudiced and not the Post. I hope it is mostly her at least. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/4 "2021-06-05T14:44:36Z")
The male leader of the post has apparently resigned at the request of the Ohio state legion command. Suchan, the female leader of the Auxillary, has refused to do so. The state command has given the local post 60 days to show cause why they shouldn’t be shut down. From USA Today: > [@](#): > > Earlier this week, Suchan told the Beacon Journal that Kemter’s mic was turned down because his comments about Black people’s role in the history of Memorial Day “was not relevant to our program for the day," adding the “theme of the day was honoring Hudson veterans.” > > In its news release, the state Legion said it determined the “censoring” of Kemter’s speech was “pre-meditated and planned by … Garrison and … Suchan.” > > “They knew exactly when to turn the volume down and when to turn it back up,” the state Legion office said. > **[Memorial Day mic cut: Hudson American Legion Post's charter suspended, leader...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/06/04/ohio-american-legion-memorial-day-speech-barnard-kemter/7553866002/)** > > Hudson's American Legion post has had its charter suspended and one of its leaders has resigned. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/5 "2021-06-05T18:10:36Z")
I am saddened and disgusted, but not surprised. There are a _lot_ of vets in the U.S., and as with any group, some of them are awful people. I am at least a bit heartened that the state AL command is taking the matter so seriously - but only a _bit_ heartened, because they’re only doing what they should be doing. I’d be more heartened if the local command were facing a revolt from the rank and file of the Post membership. Unfortunately, a lot of people, including a lot of vets who should know better, like to use the platform of Memorial Day services to make political statements. A few years ago, a featured speaker at a local Memorial Day service in my area took the opportunity to lecture the assembled crowd on God and how military service was only worth anything if it were also service to God - explicitly the Christian God. His mic, of course, was not muted during his screed. Afterwards, I talked to the chair of the vet’s organization that sponsored the ceremony. She said she hadn’t screened his remarks, agreed they were inappropriate and offensive (she was Jewish and the speaker was very clear only service to the Christian God counted), said he would never be invited to speak again…but the organization never made a public statement about it. Anyone have any pics of fluffy bunnies or something? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/6 "2021-06-05T18:52:04Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > Anyone have any pics of fluffy bunnies or something? - [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/COoBfpKk1DU/maxresdefault.jpg) ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/COoBfpKk1DU/maxresdefault.jpg) [![](https://lafeber.com/mammals/wp-content/uploads/rabbit-in-pwadogtraining.jpg) ](https://lafeber.com/mammals/wp-content/uploads/rabbit-in-pwadogtraining.jpg) [![](https://www.bunnyslippers.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/worlds-fluffiest-rabbit.jpg) ](https://www.bunnyslippers.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/worlds-fluffiest-rabbit.jpg) [https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/images/classifieds/2019/01/01/2170713/large/fluffy-bunnies-5c40d19fb7b72.jpg](https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/images/classifieds/2019/01/01/2170713/large/fluffy-bunnies-5c40d19fb7b72.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/7 "2021-06-05T19:04:23Z")
Hairless bunnies matter! > **[Mr. Bigglesworth, The Hairless Bunny, Was Rescued From Euthanasia, Now Lives...](https://www.boredpanda.com/hairless-rabbit-genetic-disorder-mrbigglesworthrabbit/)** > > Cassandra Hall from Victoria, Australia, saw a local breeder advertising baby rabbits on Facebook, and one thing immediately caught her attention.  There was a sentence under one of the photos that read, hairless not for sale. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/8 "2021-06-05T20:16:23Z")
🙂 (plus characters to make Discourse happy - extra characters are apparently Discourse’s fluffy bunnies). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/9 "2021-06-05T23:49:24Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Mention black vets celebrating the first Memorial Day? Not black vets - black former slaves, freed by the efforts of the union dead they were honouring. Can’t have that! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organizers-of-memorial-day-event-silence-remarks-about-freed-slaves-honouring-civil-war-dead/943673/10 "2021-06-06T00:30:21Z")
FYI, the text of the speech he delivered is [here](https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2021/06/03/read-draft-speech-given-vet-whose-mic-cut-hudson-memorial-day-service/7530051002/), on the website of the Akron Beacon Journal.