![]() ![]() The American Legion stands firm in a value it established in the form of a national resolution it adopted in 1923: Being different amongst each other is what makes us better – together. ![]() We will continue to educate the value of diversity. We are deeply saddened by this and stand in unity and solidarity with the black community and all peoples of race, color, religion, sex, and gender, so that those who are exclusive of such persons will know that this behavior is not acceptable in The American Legion, in our homes, our hearts, our communities, in private, public, or anywhere. Therefore, good and sufficient cause exists to revoke, cancel or suspend the charter of Lee-Bishop Post #464, Inc. These actions of Post 464, through its authorized representatives or officers in attempting to censor or suppress that portion of LTC Kemters’ speech and effectively doing so by reducing the speaker system volume, constitutes a violation of the ideals and purposes of the American Legion, as set forth in the statement of the National Commander of the American Legion dated June 12, 2020, and the 1923 Resolution, affirmed in 2017 by the National Convention, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference thereto. Col., Barnard Kemter, US ARMY (Ret.), of which she then asked him to remove a specific part of the speech regarding a historical event in 1865 in which several newly freed black slaves were among the first to commemorate Memorial Day after the Civil War ended by giving deceased Union soldiers at a Confederate prisoner of war camp an honorable burial and by decorating their graves with flowers and organizing a parade to honor them. Prior to the event, a copy of the speech was given to Cindy Suchan by Lt. They knew exactly when to turn the volume down and when to turn it back up. We discovered that the censoring that occurred at the Memorial Day Ceremony in Hudson, Ohio, sponsored by Hudson American Legion Post 464, was pre-meditated and planned by Jim Garrison and Cindy Suchan. The American Legion Department of Ohio does not hold space for members, veterans, or families of veterans who believe that censoring black history is acceptable behavior. Upon demand, Jim Garrison has also resigned as a Post Officer and we have since demanded that he resign his membership altogether. Since my thread that preceded this got removed (weird)Įffective Immediately, Department Commander, Roger Friend, has suspended Hudson Lee-Bishop American Legion Post 464 Charter pending permanent closure. Suchan is refusing to resign, but she may be removed by the American Legion Auxiliary of Ohio as early as today.īottomline: don't be an ignorant power-hungry racist. Jim Garrison actually cut the mic off, with the fervent support of Cindy Suchan, whose son is apparently a neo-Nazi. He was simply pointing out that some of the earliest known activities around what would become Memorial Day were started by Black Americans honoring dead Union soldiers. Col Bernard Kemter spoke about Black Americans' (freed slaves) contributions to the creation of what is now called Memorial Day. Jim Garrison is the man who actually cut the microphone off when retired veteran Lt. Kemter, who spent 30 years in the Army and served in the Persian Gulf War, told The Beacon Journal he was disappointed that the organizers silenced two minutes of his 11-minute speech.The American Legion Lee-Bishop Post 464 has had their charter suspended, and the remaining members will be rolled into another local (hopefully less racist) American Legion post. Kemter said he didn’t see the suggested changes in time to rewrite the speech. In the days before the ceremony, Suchan said she reviewed the speech and asked Kemter to remove certain portions. “They knew exactly when to turn the volume down and when to turn it back up,” Friend said. He said the censoring was premeditated and planned by Garrison and Suchan. “The American Legion Department of Ohio does not hold space for members, veterans, or families of veterans who believe that censoring black history is acceptable behavior,” Friend said in a statement. Garrison has since been asked to drop his membership altogether, Friend said. Garrison resigned his leadership position a day after the state organization demanded he step down, said Roger Friend, department commander for the Ohio American Legion. Cindy Suchan, chair of the Memorial Day parade committee and president of the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary, said this week that either she or Jim Garrison, adjutant of the American Legion Post 464, turned down the audio, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
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