Memorial Day has a deep historical connection to the African American community in the United States.

The holiday, which originated as Decoration Day, initially began when formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants gathered to honor and decorate the graves of Union soldiers who fought during the Civil War.

“Oddly, that’s a fact that I wasn’t fully aware of,” former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young told the Black Press.

“It’s not surprising, though,” said Young, an American civil rights leader and hero.

Indeed, on a day when picnics, family outings, and other leisurely pursuits occur, the founders of Memorial Day meant for the occasion to honor African Americans newly freed from enslavement, and those who lost their lives fighting for freedom, said actor Wendell Pierce.

“We will never forget those brave and honorable souls,” Pierce stated.

Famous DJ Donnie Simpson called the occasion “very different for me.”

“While we honor those who gave their lives in service for this country, I can’t help but think of those African Americans who were massacred in Tulsa 100 years ago,” Simpson wrote on Twitter.

Author Christina Coles deadpanned, “The Civil War was over, and African Americans had founded Memorial Day in a ritual of remembrance and consecration. They were the true patriots.”

Ben Gold, a historian and founder of the real estate investment firm Recommended Homebuyers, said recognizing Black soldiers,’ and their families’ sacrifices and bravery is essential because it acknowledges their often-overlooked role in shaping the nation’s history.

“Commemorating Memorial Day with Black heroes in mind serves several critical purposes. First and foremost, it ensures that their stories are included and preserved within the broader narrative of the holiday,” Gold insisted.

He said that by highlighting Black service members’ courage, resilience, and contributions, America pays homage to their sacrifices and honors their memory.

Moreover, Gold asserted that it fosters a sense of inclusivity, promotes diversity, and enriches our collective understanding of the complex tapestry of American history.

“In my experience as an investor and developer, I have witnessed firsthand the power of recognizing and celebrating diversity,” Gold said. “Just as the real estate industry thrives when it embraces inclusivity, so does our society when we acknowledge and appreciate the diverse perspectives and experiences of all those who have served our country.

“By featuring the stories of Black heroes in Memorial Day commemorations, we not only educate and inspire, but we also contribute to a more inclusive and united nation.”

Indeed, as noted in a Washington Informer editorial, the significance of African Americans in the holiday’s development and the numerous ideas regarding its origins may not be widely known.

Although the origins of Memorial Day trace back to the period following the Civil War, when some 620,000 soldiers lost their lives, the precise origins remain a source of controversy.

Several cities have staked claims to be the first to celebrate Memorial Day.

Still, a different narrative, perhaps more accurately, says that African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865 were the true founders of the holiday.

Renowned historian David Blight, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and American history professor at Yale University recounted a poignant commemoration in Charleston on May 1, 1865.

Organized by formerly enslaved people and white missionaries, Blight determined that the event occurred at a former racecourse that had served as a Confederate prison for Union soldiers during the war’s final year.

At least 257 prisoners had perished there, primarily due to disease, and were buried in unmarked graves.

Eventually, two dozen African American residents of Charleston meticulously rearranged the graves into orderly rows.

They erected a three-meter-tall white fence around them, creating what they called the ‘Martyrs of the Racecourse’ memorial.

“After the Confederate evacuation of Charleston Black workmen went to the site, reburied the Union dead properly, and built a high fence around the cemetery,” Blight documented.

“They whitewashed the fence and built an archway over an entrance on which they inscribed the words, ‘Martyrs of the Racecourse.’”

He continued: “The symbolic power of this Low Country planter aristocracy’s bastion was not lost on the freed people, who then, in cooperation with white missionaries and teachers, staged a parade of 10,000 on the track.”

The gravesites were transformed into a breathtaking “sea of flowers,” as described by the New York Tribune, and the event was hailed as a procession of mourning and remembrance, unlike anything South Carolina or the United States had witnessed before.

Despite documented evidence about this event, the narrative of African Americans being the founders of Memorial Day essentially went untold.

“That’s the surprising part,” said Ambassador Young, a civil rights icon who also served as mayor of Atlanta from 1981 to 1990.

“It’s history I want to read and know more about, and everyone else should as well.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The article was originally published on May 29, 2017

Memorial day is a day that is set aside to honor those who fought in for the United States Military. As many headed out to the beach or maybe a family barbeque enjoying the weather many might not be aware of the several different theories of how memorial day began.

On May 1 , 1865 , freed slaves came together in Charleston , S.C to pay tribute to the Union soldiers that had been deceased and put into a common burial after the war. There were 257 deceased Union soldiers , according to the American Oracle : The Civil War In the Civil Rights Era, a book written by David Blight a Yale University professor .

This event held over of 10,000 people in the ” slaveholders race course.” , according to the American Oracle by Blight. Black Charlestonians along with white missionaries and educators stood in honor of the Union soldiers .

Three thousand African American students led the event by singing ” John Brown’s Body” while holding arms loads of roses , according to Blight’s book the American Oracle. After the school children, hundred of African American woman followed with possessions of baskets of flowers, wreaths and crosses , according to the American Oracle Black men marched, followed by a group of “Union infantry” and a diversity of other black and white citizens , according to BlackBlueDog.com.

At the event other presentations proceeded from a childrens choir singing selections and black ministers presented scriptures. This event symbolized the blood , sweat and tears each one of the 257 Union soldiers shedded during the war. The 257 Union soldiers were not treated adequately when alive or decease.

“Union soldiers were kept in horrible conditions in the interior of the track; at least 257 died of exposure and disease and were hastily buried in a mass grave behind the grandstand,” according to the American Oracle the First Declaration Day, by Blight.

Hence , a legacy was left on May 1 , 1965 in celebrating for those Union soldiers who served the country well.

In generations to come , a part of history like this event reflects a time of African American history that will benefit the public eye.

“The war, they had boldly announced, had been all about the triumph of their emancipation over a slaveholders’ republic, and not about state rights, defense of home, nor merely soldiers’ valor and sacrifice, ” Blight said in his book the American Oracle.

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A new Gallup study released on May 17 shows that the lifetime depression rates of Black and Hispanic adults are rising quickly and have now passed those of white adults.

Gallup found that white people have always had slightly higher rates of both lifetime and current depression, but African Americans and Hispanics now suffer the most.

Overall, 29% of U.S. adults acknowledge a depression diagnosis at some point, almost ten percentage points more than in 2015.

Gallup’s National Health and Well-Being Index says that the number of Americans who have depression or are currently receiving treatment has increased by about seven points in the same period to 17.8%.

Both rates are the highest that Gallup has seen since it started tracking depression with the current method in 2015.

The Gallup Panel surveyed 5,167 U.S. adults from Feb. 21 to Feb. 28 to get the most current results.

The panel comprises about 100,000 adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Questions included, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression,” and “Do you currently have depression, or are you being treated for it?”

Over one-third of women (36.7%), compared to 20.4% of men, say they have been diagnosed with depression at some point.

Since 2017, the rate of depression in women has risen almost twice as fast as in men.
Individuals 18 to 29 (34.3%) and between 30 and 44 (34.9%) are diagnosed with depression at much higher rates than people over 44.

The highest rates of current depression or treatment for depression are also among women (23.8%) and people ages 18 to 29 (24.6%).

Compared to 2017 projections, these two groups have the fastest-rising rates (up 6.2% and 11.6%, respectively).

Adults aged 30–44 also have the fastest-rising rates.

Depression is not just a problem in the U.S.

Around the world, 4 in 10 adults aged 15 or older have severe depression or anxiety or know someone who does.

According to other Gallup research, 22% of adults in Northern America have had depression or anxiety so badly that they couldn’t do their normal daily activities for two weeks or longer.

Gallup researchers said that’s about the same as the global rate of 19% and the same as the rates in Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. clinical sadness rate grew slowly.

After the pandemic, however, it went up by a significant amount.

Researchers said social isolation, loneliness, fear of infection, mental exhaustion (especially among first responders like health care workers), increased drug use, and problems with mental health services may have played a role.

Even though the number of people who feel very lonely every day has decreased in the past two years due to widespread vaccinations and a slow return to normalcy, increased loneliness during the pandemic was likely a significant factor in the rise of long-term depression.

Currently, 17% of adults in the U.S. say they were very lonely “yesterday,” which adds up to an estimated 44 million people.

Women have always reported much higher amounts of depression than men have in subgroups, researchers said.

This gap has gotten a lot bigger since 2017, likely due to several COVID-related factors, such as women being more likely to lose their jobs or stop working altogether, partly because the pandemic kept kids from going to school or daycare.

In 2019, 78% of all healthcare workers were women, putting them at a higher risk for emotional and mental problems because of the pandemic.

Conversely, young people are more likely to be single and to say they are lonely, especially during the pandemic.

Experts said young people also need more time with others to boost their happiness than older adults do.

COVID-19 has a direct effect on this.

Those under 30 and individuals with lower incomes are more likely to feel sad, worried, or angry every day, which are all symptoms of depression, the researchers found.
Women, young adults, and people of color were also more likely to lose their jobs entirely because of the pandemic.

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