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| "Southern ladies" also decorated the graves of Confederate Soldiers. You could even buy Decorations Day cards |
A Time to Remember
In The U.S. this
weekend, we are celebrating Memorial Day. During this three day weekend, we celebrate
and remember the lives of the men and women who died during their service in
the armed forces; or do we?
This weekend
has become a time to eat, drink and be merry, for on Tuesday, we return back to
work.
But did you
know that Memorial Day originated in the Charleston, South Carolina among freed
African Americans?
Decoration Day, as it was called, was the day when “Freedmen”
and other black families celebrated the lives of Union soldiers. White
missionaries and school teachers worked alongside of free blacks cleaning
cemeteries and roads for the 10,000 people who attended the first Decoration
Day in 1865. Years later, the north joined in the celebration of what was
called “First Decoration Day.”
Nowadays, we
think of the soldiers as an afterthought to our barbeques and boat races. Rarely
do we think of those who fought for freedom within
the country. We spend even less time thinking about just how far we’ve come.
We are so embarrassed
about the past that we just don’t deal with it at all.
Our
ancestors, black and white participated in a struggle for the freedom of all.
We must remember and celebrate their lives.
Somehow, the
origins of this holiday has been lost to barbeques, the beginning of summer and
the long weekend we look forward to.
Take a
moment to recall, recollect and remember the ancestors who enabled us to do all
of this. I know tomorrow is Memorial Day, but I thought I’d give you a heads
up.
Remember, we are
connected to our ancestors, to their struggle and to one another.
Be you, be well, be
decorated
Bertice Berry, PhD.
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