Mississippi governor takes break from pandemic to declare “Confederate Heritage Month” – By Igor Derysh (Salon) / April 7 2020
Reporters only learned about Gov. Tate Reeves’ order after a neo-Confederate group published it on Facebook
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has declared April “Confederate Heritage Month” even as the state responds to a growing number of coronavirus cases.
Reeves, a Republican, said in an order that this April marks “the month when, in 1861, the American Civil War began between the Confederate and Union armies, reportedly the costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil.”
Reporters in the state learned of the proclamation after the neo-Confederate group Mississippi Sons of Confederate Veterans posted a copy of the document on Facebook, according to the Jackson Free Press.
“God bless the Confederate Soldier. He shall never be forgotten,” the group said.
The proclamation was signed on April 3, two days after Reeves reversed course on his opposition to a statewide lockdown and issued a stay-at-home order. The state has reported more than 1,700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 51 deaths.
Continue to article: https://www.salon.com/2020/04/07/mississippi-governor-takes-break-from-pandemic-response-to-declare-confederate-heritage-month/
