Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has signed a declaration proclaiming April “Confederate Heritage Month” in his state.
His order was not included on the list of gubernatorial proclamations, according to the
Jackson Free Press, but appeared on the website of the pro-Confederacy group Sons of Confederate Veterans.
The governor’s office later confirmed the existence of the proclamation, which says April was chosen because it was the month “in which the Confederate States began and ended a four-year struggle,” and also includes the state’s Confederate Memorial Day on April 2nd.
Bryant, a Republican who has served as governor since 2012, said in the order that “it is important for all Americans to reflect open our nation’s past, to gain insight from our mistakes and successes, and to come to a full understanding that the lessons learned yesterday and today will carry us through tomorrow if we carefully and earnestly strive to understand and appreciate our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us.”
The proclamation was issued as a response to a request from the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Bryant’s spokesman Clay Chandler told
The Clarion-Ledger.
SCV’s text accompanying a slider with the order is less circumspect about the Civil War, but does not mention slavery in connection to the 19th century South.
“The citizen-soldiers who fought for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America. The preservation of liberty and freedom was the motivating factor in the South’s decision to fight the Second American Revolution,” it says.
The group’s Mississippi chapter is known for opposing any changes to the state flag, which is the last of any former Confederate states to feature the “Stars and Bars” found on many secessionists' flags, which opponents say perpetuate racism and the effects of slavery.
An effort to remove symbols associated with slavery gained force nationwide last year after the shooting of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, with South Carolina removing the Confederate flag from its capitol grounds.
Though it has not previously garnered attention, the Free Press found on other pro-Confederate sites that Bryant had issued proclamations similar to this year's during his first two years in office, in 2012 and 2013.
Other states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Texas have also celebrated the losing side of the Civil War during April, though some call it Confederate History Month rather than celebrating the rebellion's heritage.
Chandler told
The Times-Picayune that “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.”
