Gov. Bryant should declare Union Army Heritage Month
MARCH 10, 2016 7:10 PM
FORUM BY DERRICK JOHNSON <president of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP>
Only a few weeks ago during National Black History Month, Gov. Phil Bryant issued a proclamation officially decreeing April as Confederate Heritage Month. This proclamation was issued very quietly as it had been done under Gov. Haley Barbour, Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, Gov. Kirk Fordice and so on.
However, if it is heritage that should be honored by proclamation, then the history of soldiers from Mississippi who served in the Union Army deserve their recognition as well.
These Mississippians were patriots who fought for the preservation of this great nation, and we must preserve their history and legacy so that future generations can understand the sacrifice of our ancestors. To do otherwise would encourage a revisionist history that dishonors the memory of our families, friends and neighbors who fought, bled and died for freedom and for the nation ...
A champion of Confederate heritage will say tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers from Mississippi fought in the war. But tens of thousands of white and black soldiers from Mississippi fought for the United States in the war. Should not their lives be recognized, too? ...
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