Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE
The mayor of Livingston, TN has signed a proclamation acknowledging the month of April as Confederate History Month in the small town that lies east of the capital city of Nashville.
Mayor Curtis Hayes met with several members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for the signing ceremony earlier this month.
A caption with a photo of the ceremony reads:
A contingent of compatriots with Sons of Confederate Veterans, Myers-Zollicoffer Camp 1990 recently met with Livingston City Mayor Curtis Hayes for the signing of a proclamation designating April 2022 as Confederate History Month in the Town of Livingston and urging all citizens to avail themselves of the opportunities to increase their knowledge of this important era of Tennessee’s history. On hand for Mayor Hayes’ signing are, from left, Norman Osburn, Michael Boswell, Junior Matthews, Bill Speck, Bill Heard, and Tommy Phillips.
Confederate Memorial Day is a holiday observed in many southern states, usually in the month of April, and done to honor the estimated 258,000 Confederate lives lost in the U.S. Civil War. While it is an official state holiday in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina, it is instead only commemorated in Tennessee (where it is called Confederate Decoration Day) North Carolina, and Kentucky, as well as Texas and Florida (where it is called Confederate Heroes Day.)
Be that as it may, only seven states have formally declared – either through proclamation or through legislation – a designation of Confederate History Month in their states. Those states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.
In the case of Mississippi, in 2016, then-Governor Phil Bryant proclaimed April to be Confederate Heritage Month in the state, but as the Jackson Free Press noted at the time, the proclamation did not appear on the state’s website. Rather, Bryant’s proclamation appears only on the website for the Mississippi Sons of Confederate Veterans and came two weeks before Mississippi legislators would kill 19 state flag bills that sought to remove the symbol of the Confederate era.
The proclamation states that it is “important for all Americans to reflect upon our nation’s past” and “to gain insight from our mistakes and successes,” reported the Free Press. It further said we must “earnestly strive to understand and appreciate our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us.”
BPR reported at the time that, although Confederate symbols have come under fire in recent years, Gov. Bryant refused to take a position on changing the flag, which he said remains in the hands of voters.
“Like his predecessors — both Republican and Democrat — who issued similar proclamations, Gov. Bryant believes Mississippi’s history deserves study and reflection, no matter how unpleasant or complicated parts of it may be,” said Clay Chandler, a spokesman for Bryant, according to the Free Press.
“Like the proclamation says, gaining insight from our mistakes and successes will help us move forward,” he said.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans website states that the organization “shall be strictly patriotic, historical, educational, fraternal, benevolent, non-political, non-racial and non-sectarian. The Sons of Confederate Veterans neither embraces, nor espouses acts or ideologies of racial and religious bigotry, and further, condemns the misuse of its sacred symbols and flags in the conduct of same.”
The fact that Livingston Mayor Curtis Hayes is black garnered mixed reactions on Twitter as it appeared to enrage some users and discombobulate many others.
This is wild https://t.co/ejIdWE462x
— Chattanooga Holler (@NoogaHoller) April 19, 2022
Same photo, different angle. pic.twitter.com/TAw7kXe0Q6
— A Better Tennessee (@TopTenn) April 19, 2022
Omfg, I want this to be a joke but I live in TN and it is so disgustingly real.
— ellen (@ellendross) April 19, 2022
Scary. I cannot imagine the fear and the hurt that Black residents feel about this slap across their faces
— ‘ебать Росію 🇺🇦 (@hannsf) April 19, 2022
Can we talk about the elephant in the room?? The guy signing it is black. Smdh
— What have we become?? 🆘 (@sickofthedumb) April 19, 2022
It’s so sad when you see people who were treated so badly and enslaved in the past, support the people who treated them so badly and enslaved them in the past. What makes someone do that?
— Amos 🇺🇸🏳️🌈 (pro-democracy) 🇺🇸🏳️🌈 (@aapinkhats) April 18, 2022
Tennessee …fighting Florida everyday for bragging rights as the most backward state in the Union. #FFS
— Quiche L’Orraine (@FmphsLover) April 18, 2022
I don’t even have words for a Black man signing this———————————
— Carolynthechef (@carolynthechef) April 19, 2022
Was this signed under duress?
— Blue Shirt Girl (@liarswalkaway) April 18, 2022
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
Frank (Chip) Webster is a musician and composer, former teacher of percussion and U.S. Army Infantry veteran. He holds a degree in English from Arizona State University.
- Ukraine lawmaker pleased with Dem performance, says early results from midterms ‘very good’ for us - November 9, 2022
- Casey Anthony sits for first TV interview since being acquitted for murdering her 2-yr-old daughter - November 9, 2022
- Part-time Uber driver in FL rides anti-gun platform to become first Gen Z ‘progressive’ in Congress - November 9, 2022
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
