>Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn has attempted to explain both assertions several times this week, after he signed a proclamation at a Tuesday city council meeting declaring April 26 “a time in which to honor the memories of those who sacrificed their lives in the War Between States” — the Civil War sobriquet employed by followers of “Lost Cause” pseudo-history, which seeks to whitewash slavery and Confederate atrocities.
>After Guinn signed the order, which was not subject to a vote, council president Mary Sue Rich dissented.
>In an interview with The Washington Post, Guinn said the resolution is “simply a memorial for Confederate soldiers who were veterans.” When asked why another holiday, on top of Veterans Day and Memorial Day, was necessary, Guinn mentioned Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. Day — though he didn’t elaborate and denied that he was equating either of those celebrations with Confederate Memorial Day.
>When pressed about the Confederacy’s proslavery ideology, Guinn conceded that he is no Civil War scholar, but said that “it was about more than just slavery,” a well-worn myth that nearly every respected historian of the period have debunked.
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[YouTube] Mayor proclaims Confederate memorial day