A ceremony organizer turned off the mic Monday when the event s keynote speaker, retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter, began sharing a story about freed Black slaves honoring deceased soldiers shortly after the end of the Civil War.
Hudson American Legion Auxiliary President Cindy Suchan, who chairs the Memorial Day parade committee, told the Beacon Journal Kemter s mic was turned down because it “was not relevant to our program for the day, and added the “theme of the day was honoring Hudson veterans.”
The American Legion Department of Ohio said in a tweet directed to a Beacon Journal reporter that it is investigating the incident: We are aware of the incident written by you and published in the Akron Beacon Journal. This matter and the facts are under full investigation by our organization. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
A veteran speaking about the Black origins of Memorial Day during a commemoration ceremony in Ohio suddenly found himself without sound as the organizers cut his audio.
By Bill Galluccio
Jun 3, 2021
Organizers of a Memorial Day event in Ohio are facing criticism after they cut the microphone of a veteran in the middle of his speech. Army Lt. Col.
Barnard Kemter was speaking at a ceremony at the Markillie Cemetery in Hudson, Ohio, which was put together by the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary.
About halfway through his speech, Kemter brought up the history that freed slaves had in celebrating Memorial Day for the first time. He explained that historians believe that a group of freed slaves organized the ceremony on May 1, 1865, at the remains of a Confederate prison camp.