RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Bob McDonnell has brought Confederate History Month back to Virginia after an eight-year hiatus.
McDonnell becomes the first governor since 2001 to designate April to commemorate the secessionist, slave-holding South.
The last governor to do that was fellow Republican Jim Gilmore. Since then, Democrats Mark Warner and Tim Kaine refused to issue the proclamation.
McDonnell’s 368-word declaration makes no mention of slavery.
McDonnell said in a teleconference with reporters his intent was to honor the sacrifice and bloodshed on Virginia soil, and to draw attention to the state’s many Civil War battlefields and tourist attractions.
Virginia’s Capitol once doubled as the Confederate seat of government.