Monday Open Thread | Happy Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. Let us remember all who fought for this country and died in service to this country. Never forget, African-Americans have served in the military of this country since before this country was an actual country. Did you know that the first time African-Americans went into battle for this country when they were considered, at least in the laws of this country – first class citizens, was Gulf War I?

Black People Created Memorial Day—Literally
Felice León
5/28/18 10:00am

Memorial Day is here.
Think barbecues, lemonade. A precious three-day weekend full of sun, sales and slacking off. But this is The Root, and you know there’s another part of this story.
Little-known fact: African Americans created Memorial Day.
Rewind to the end of the Civil War. In 1865, Charleston, S.C., was in ruins, and many Union soldiers were being held prisoner in a converted racecourse. At least 257 of the captives died because of the horrific conditions, and their bodies were discarded in a mass grave.

Later, a group of black workmen dug up the bodies and reburied them to properly honor the fallen.
On May 1, 1865, over 10,000 people—recently freed slaves, black schoolchildren, colored soldiers and their allies—held what was the first Memorial Day parade.

“They paraded around the racetrack, and then they gathered as many as could fit into the cemetery compound; about three or four black preachers read from Scripture,” said David Blight, a professor of history at Yale and director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery. His research is responsible for bringing this little-known history to light. The historian says that the white South controlled much of the nation’s narrative, which explains why this heroic story was practically erased.

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96 Responses to Monday Open Thread | Happy Memorial Day

  1. rikyrah says:

    Had never seen this before

    https://youtu.be/wjYAsVfJE8c

  2. Liza says:

    Memorial Day. This is from the Ken Burn’s Vietnam documentary. Vietnam veteran, former Marine John Musgrave describes being shot in an ambush and how he was eventually saved.

  3. rikyrah says:

    When large parts of Nebraska became a lake, I asked this question..
    WHY am I finding this out on Twitter.
    Is it faulty memory on my part?
    Weren’t similar situations on cable news 24/7, with repeated requests for 44 to respond during his Administration?

    Wasn’t the question always what 44 would do about it and when was he going to see these Americans?
    Did I imagine that?😒😒

    https://twitter.com/tier_hughes/status/1132330430001221632

  4. rikyrah says:

    Considering that I thought it was a trap…this doesn’t upset me 🙄😒

    https://twitter.com/CharlesMBlow/status/1133002035903778817

  5. J.S - WEW says:

    Nice information about the Memorial Day. All human beings are equal. Racism is detrimental to the existence of any society. I have recently written a post,
    Rule of Law
    Hope you will like the post.

    • Liza says:

      This is what I fear. If Trump suffers no consequences for the most corrupt administration in history, the office is forever open to dishonorable, corrupt men.

  6. rikyrah says:

    Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊

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