Army Veteran’s Memorial Day Speech On The Founding Role of African Americans Was Interrupted When His Mic Was Turned Off
June 6, 2021
HUDSON, OHIO (AGN.News) – Retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter‘s was tasked with giving the Memorial Day keynote address Monday, May 31, 2021 at Markillie Cemetery in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio. Just when he began to speak about how former enslaved African Americans were the first to honor deceased Union soldiers on May 1, 1865 after the end of the Civil War as the origin of Memorial Day, his microphone was turned off.
Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter (who is White) noticed his mic was not working as he began talking about the role of freed slaves in the founding of Memorial Day. He initially thought it was some kind of technical glitch. Only to find out his mic was deliberately turned off by organizers so that the audience would not hear about the accomplishment of African Americans in starting Memorial Day 156 years ago.
Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter knew this was a historical fact. We knew he was very accurate because the Charleston Daily Courier and the New-York Tribune both covered the story 156 years ago. Historians have verified the story of how “African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina” on May 1, 1865.
History records on May 1, 1865, recently freed African Americans held a parade of 10,000 people to honor 257 dead Union soldiers, whose remains they had reburied from a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp.
Apparently some of the event leadership did not want that mentioned in his speech. The Grio reports that, “Cindy Suchan, who was the chairperson of the Memorial Day event sponsored by the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary, confirmed to The Akron Beacon Journal that it was either she or the adjutant of the American Legion Lee-Bishop Post 464, Jim Garrison, who intentionally turned the microphone off at that point. According to the report, when pressed, Suchan would not confirm exactly who cut Kemter’s speech.
She told the news outlet Kemter was interrupted because that portion of his speech “was not relevant” to the program. She added that the “theme of the day was honoring Hudson veterans.”
Cindy Suchan said Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter was asked to edit his speech. In other words, she wanted him to delete the entire message about the role of African Americans in starting Memorial Day. In her view, that “was not relevant” to a Memorial Day speech so she or Jim Garrison, the adjutant of the American Legion Lee-Bishop Post 464, decided to censor the speech of retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter by turning off his mic during the retired veteran’s Memorial Day speech.
Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter, 77, said his speech was well received, as many of the hundreds in attendance were unaware of the role of freed African Americans in the origin of Memorial Day.
“I find it interesting that [the American Legion] … would take it upon themselves to censor my speech and deny me my First Amendment right to [freedom of] speech,” Kemter said. “… This is not the same country I fought for.”
The video of his speech posted to Vimeo shows Kemter tapping the microphone and asking for assistance. However, he continues his speech and after the historical portion, it comes back on and remains on.
It’s being reported locally that Suchan asked the audio engineer, A.J. Stokes, to turn the mic off on Kemter. Instead, he pointed to the knob that controlled the volume. He told the Beacon Journal Garrison turned the mic off. “That was very improper,” said Stokes. “I would’ve never done something like that.”
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