Invited By the SCV to Speak at Lee-Jackson Day Celebration

Just when I thought I was persona non grata with the Sons of Confederate Veterans, this morning I awoke to an invitation from the Stonewall Brigade chapter in Lexington, Virginia to speak at their upcoming Lee-Jackson Day symposium. The invitation came from their Lt. Commander.

Here is my response:

Thank you for the invitation to speak at this gathering. I would love to talk about the role that the Sons of Confederate Veterans have played in perpetuating the myth of the black Confederate soldier. Do you think this would be an appropriate topic?

About an hour later I got my answer:

I thought I was inviting Ervin Jordan who is closer to us. We have little funds for travel and speaker fees , so I don’t think we could afford you. I am in the middle of the black confederate debate. I believe there was more than historians say ,but way less than pro south confederates claim. Sorry for the confusion.

Professor Jordan and I are easy to mistake for one another. It goes without saying that I was never serious about speaking to this or any chapter of the SCV as a matter of principle. I just wanted to see how they would respond.

Thought you would get a kick out of this. Now back to work.

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11 comments… add one
  • musick@frontiernet.net Oct 12, 2017 @ 6:14

    (Pssst: Everyone, please don’t tell Ed Sebesta about this invitation)

    • Kevin Levin Oct 12, 2017 @ 6:51

      That’s right. It will confirm that I am really a closet neo-Confederate. 🙂

  • Al Mackey Oct 11, 2017 @ 13:28

    I understand his confusion. After all, it’s difficult to tell you guys apart. Every time I see you I have to remind myself you’re Kevin, not Ervin. 😉

  • Phil R. Oct 11, 2017 @ 11:22

    Well, your first and last names both end with “n.” It’s an easy mistake.

  • Dudley Bokoski Oct 11, 2017 @ 9:04

    “Alex, I’ll take-My Spell Check Is Broken-for $200.

  • James F. Epperson Oct 11, 2017 @ 7:57

    How do you confuse “Kevin Levin” with “Ervin Jordan”? How does that happen?

    • Kevin Levin Oct 11, 2017 @ 7:59

      And I wasn’t even invited specifically to speak about black Confederates. LOL

  • Kate Oct 11, 2017 @ 6:39

    My first thought was, ‘It’s a trap!’

    • Kevin Levin Oct 11, 2017 @ 6:41

      🙂

  • James Harrigan Oct 11, 2017 @ 6:09

    LOL. “Sorry for the confusion”, indeed.

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