American Legion Under Fire For Silencing Speech

(AP) – The head of an American Legion post in Ohio has stepped down after organizers of a Memorial Day ceremony silenced a speech about freed Black slaves honoring soldiers after the Civil War. American Legion leaders in Ohio also suspended the post’s charter on Friday and are taking steps to close it. The moves come in the wake of intense criticism over the decision to censor retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter at the ceremony in Hudson, Ohio. Kemter said he wanted to share the history of how Memorial Day originated. But organizers said that wasn’t relevant to honoring the city’s veterans.