Ohio veteran has his mic cut during speech on Black people's role in origins of Memorial Day
Hudson, Ohio – When one Ohio veteran started to speak on Black people's role in the history of Memorial Day, his microphone suddenly stopped working.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter, keynote speaker at the Memorial Day event in Markillie Cemetery, was telling the story of formerly and newly free Black people who first commemorated deceased Civil War soldiers when his mic got cut.
Were the organizers experiencing technical difficulties? Apparently not.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, the move was deliberate. Cindy Suchan, one of the Hudson American Legion Lee-Bishop Post 464 organizers, admitted that either she or her colleague Jim Garrison had turned off Kemter's audio.
Suchan said they made the decision because that portion of Kemter's speech "was not relevant to our program for the day," which was "honoring Hudson veterans."
In the lead-up to the event, Suchan said she and her co-organizers reviewed Kemter's speech. The veteran confirmed that an unnamed organizer had asked him to remove portions of the text, including the part on Black people's role in the establishment of Memorial Day.
Despite the audio cut, Kemter continued with his prepared remarks, a video of the event shows.
"I find it interesting that [the American Legion] ... would take it upon themselves to censor my speech and deny my First Amendment right to [freedom of] speech," Kemter lamented. "This is not the country I fought for."
He also added that the portion of his speech on Black people honoring fallen Union soldiers was very "well-received," with many attendees thanking him for sharing a story they had never heard before.
The American Legion confirmed that it was taking a look at the scandal, while insisting that it "deplores racism."
"We salute LTC Kemter’s service & his moving remarks about the history of Memorial Day & the important role played by Black Americans in honoring our fallen heroes. We regret any actions taken that detracts from this important message," the statement posted on Twitter added.
Cover photo: Screenshot/Hudson Community Television