As John Lewis was honored in Alabama, a state GOP legislator celebrated a KKK leader's birthday

[mahatmakanejeeves]

As John Lewis was honored in Alabama, a state GOP legislator celebrated a KKK leader’s birthday

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Politics

Alabama Republican lawmaker’s post praising KKK leader denounced by Democrats, GOP

Updated Jul 27, 2020; Posted Jul 27, 2020

By Howard Koplowitz | [e-mail]

The Alabama Democratic Party renewed its call for a state lawmaker to step down after he posted on social media that he had a “great time” honoring Confederate Army General and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest over the weekend.

And while the state’s Republican Party isn’t asking Rep. Will Dismukes, R-Prattville, to resign, the party’s chairwoman called the tribute improper.

Dismukes said on Facebook Sunday that he had a “great time” celebrating Forrest’s birthday at Fort Dixie in Selma, adding that he gave the invocation for the festivities.

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Dismukes took the post down by Monday, and said that the photo and posting “was in no way glorifying the Klan or disrespecting the late Rep. John Lewis,” the Alabama, Civil Rights icon and longtime congressman from Georgia who died last week and was celebrated in Alabama over the weekend.

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[bbernardini]

1. "Okay, I went to a party celebrating Hitler's birthday, but in no way was I glorifying Nazis." nt

[CurtEastPoint]

2. He got hisself his own Bappist churchie last year to preach at. "Pastor."

My ass.

Dismukes and his wife, Amber, have a son. He became an ordained minister in 2013, and was elected the pastor of his Southern Baptist church in 2019.[5]