A veteran s microphone was cut during part of a Memorial Day speech that touched on Black people s role in the holiday kvia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kvia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
American Legion leaders in Ohio also suspended the post’s charter and took steps to close it, amid intense backlash over the decision to censor retired Army Lt Col Barnard Kemter.
Kemter said he included the story in his speech on Monday because he wanted to share the history of how Memorial Day originated.
But organizers of the ceremony in Hudson, Ohio, said that section of the speech was not relevant to the theme of honoring veterans.
Cindy Suchan, chair of the Memorial Day parade committee and president of the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary, said either she or Jim Garrison, adjutant of American Legion Post 464, turned down the audio, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Hudson, Ohio s American Legion post has had its charter suspended and its leader has resigned after a veteran s microphone got cut while he spoke about Black Americans role in the history of Memorial Day.
Keynote speaker Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter had his microphone cut at a Memorial Day ceremony in Hudson, Ohio, when he spoke about the holiday s roots in black history.