Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who caught flack for proclaiming April as “Confederate History Month” this year but omitting any mention of slavery, will instead commemorate the beginning of the Civil War in Virginia next year, his office announced Friday.
In prepared remarks welcoming a state Civil War commemoration commission conference entitled “Race, Slavery, and the Civil War: The Tough Stuff of American History and Memory,” McDonnell, who had previously apologized for the omission, said it “disappointed and and hurt a lot of people, myself included.”
“Young people make mistakes, and I suppose sometimes young administrations do as well,” he said. “Ours was an error of haste and not of heart. And it is an error that will be fixed.”
“Next April our office will issue a “Civil War in Virginia” proclamation commemorating the beginning of the Civil War in our state,” he continued.
“This proclamation will encapsulate all of our history. It will remember all Virginians — free and enslaved; Union and Confederate. It will be written for all Virginians.
“While we cannot fully put to paper the definitive collective memory of this period, we are going to at least ensure that all voices are heard in the attempt.”
Read the governor’s full remarks here.
