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The Black Roots of Memorial Day
Some history….
As the end of this our Fourth Century in this tortuous land draws inexorably ever closer, it is well that we do some deep remembering. Remembrance is a necessary, essential, exercise in order to keep the present in proper perspective.
A proper appreciation of the past renders the future accessible, even malleable. We must know where we came from before we can decide where we are going, in which direction…and, crucially, why.
“Memorial Day” is a touchstone for black people. Most of us, though, have not the slightest inkling as to its “meaning” for us. Yes, yes. I know I’m six months ahead of myself here. But the true story of “Memorial Day” is 154 years in the making.
Indeed, I wrote this essay on Memorial Day weekend seven years ago. I saw the new movie “Harriet” a couple of weeks ago and decided then and there to honor Sistah Tubman not just with a ”review” of that work of art, but with with this re-print as well….More importantly, to also remember, to honor, to commemorate, to appreciate and to thank all, as James Baldwin so eloquently put it, the “Many Thousands Gone.”
“This was the first Memorial Day. African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina. What you have there is black Americans recently freed from slavery announcing to the world with…
