OCALA, Fla. (WSVN) — The mayor of Ocala has received some backlash after presenting a proclamation for a Confederate Memorial Day in the city.
According to Fox 35, Mayor Kent Guinn presented a proclamation that would designate April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
The proclamation says April is the month where the Confederacy started and ended their fight for independence. It also adds that Florida sent more troops to the confederacy that any other state.
However, after presenting the proclamation, Guinn received some backlash. Council president Mary Sue Rich suggested that Guinn may belong to the Ku Klux Klan and questioned if he should remain in office.
“I don’t think you deserve to be the mayor of Ocala. I hope somebody runs against you,” Rich said, according to the station.
According to Fox 35, the city has made similar proclamations in 2005, 2012, 2013 and 2014, with each declaring April Confederate History Month.
Rich said that as a black woman, a Confederate Memorial Day carries a different meaning for her.
“They were held as slaves. They were killed and nothing pleasant happened to my ancestors,” said Rich.
Guinn also denied accusations that he is a part of the KKK.
“I am not, repeat not, in the KKK,” Guinn says. “I never have been; I never will be. I despise and hate everything that the organization stands for.”
According to the Ocala Star Banner, the Marion County Commission approved an almost identical proclamation on March 19.
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