A Memorial Day ceremony in Ohio has caused a stir after a 77-year-old veteran was cut off mid-speech while talking about the role Black Americans played in honoring the dead following the conclusion of the Civil War.
But shortly after he began his 11-minute speech, Kemter’s microphone stopped working as he discussed the history of Memorial Day andthe freed Black enslaved people who helped commemorate the holidayfollowing the Union’s triumph over the Confederacy.
“The ceremony is believed to have included a parade of as many as 10,000 people, including 3,000 African American schoolchildren singing the Union marching song, ‘John Brown’s Body,'” Kemter said in his speech. “They were carrying armfuls of flowers and went to decorate at the graves.”
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“I assumed it was a technical glitch,” Kemter told theWashington Post.
Despite being muted, Kemter continued on with his speech, inciting people to move closer to hear him.
As theBeaconJournalreported, the event’s organizers admitted they had turned off Kemter’s microphone on purpose since the portion of his speech about Black history was “not relevant for the program.”
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The American Legion Post 464 did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, and instead directed inquiries to the Ohio American Legion. The organization has not responded.
Suchan told theBeacon Journalthat either she or member Jim Garrison, adjutant of American Legion Lee-Bishop Post 464, was the one to mute Kemper’s microphone.
In a post to their Twitter account on Thursday, the Ohio American Legion said Commander Roger Friend has requested the resignation of Suchan and Garrison from Post 464.
“A full investigation and Charter of this Post are pending with the Department Executive Board,” the tweetsaid.
“Throughout history, there has been a lot of claims about who actually performed the first Memorial Day service,” Kemter explained. “With this speech, I chose to educate people as to the origin of Memorial Day and why we were celebrating it.”
source: people.com
