Every year around this time, I used to do the same thing a lot of people quietly do: mix up Memorial Day and Labor Day.
I knew one of them kicked off summer and one of them ended it, but if you asked me which was which without giving me a second to think, I probably would’ve guessed wrong. Thankfully, school calendars made it easier to remember over time. Memorial Day comes at the beginning of summer vacation, Labor Day arrives when backpacks come back out and the school year begins again.
Simple enough, right?
But this year, I learned something about Memorial Day that stopped me in my tracks.
I discovered that one of the earliest known Memorial Day commemorations was actually organized by formerly enslaved Black Americans in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865, just after the Civil War ended.
And honestly, I was surprised I had never been taught that more clearly before.
The event happened after Black residents of Charleston learned that Union soldiers had been buried in a mass grave at a former Confederate prison camp. According to historians, freed Black Americans exhumed the bodies, gave the soldiers proper burials, built a fence around the cemetery, and held a massive public ceremony honoring the dead. Thousands attended, including Black schoolchildren carrying flowers and singing patriotic songs.
At the time, it was called “Decoration Day,” because people decorated the graves with flowers. Years later, the tradition evolved into what we now know as Memorial Day.
Now, to be fair, historians still debate the exact “official” birthplace of Memorial Day. Several towns and communities across the country have long claimed that title. But what is historically documented is that African Americans played a foundational role in one of the earliest and most meaningful observances connected to the holiday.
And I think that matters.
Not because honoring fallen soldiers is somehow less important, but because history becomes dangerous when parts of it are erased, simplified, or selectively remembered.
Memorial Day today is widely presented as a patriotic military holiday, and of course it is important to honor those who lost their lives in service. That sacrifice deserves respect. But understanding where traditions come from matters too. Especially in a time where conversations about history, race, education, and national identity are becoming increasingly tense.
Sometimes the fuller story makes people uncomfortable because it reminds us that Black Americans were not just witnesses to American history, they were architects of it.
There’s something deeply human about the original spirit of Memorial Day. Formerly enslaved people honoring the dead, creating dignity where there had been cruelty, and insisting that lives lost in the fight against slavery deserved remembrance. That’s not divisive history. That’s American history.
And honestly, learning that made this holiday feel more meaningful to me than it ever has before.
If You Want To Learn More
Here are a few really interesting reads about the history behind Memorial Day:
- TIME: The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day
- History.com: Early Memorial Day Ceremonies Organized by Freed Black Americans
- National Park Service: African American Contributions to Memorial Day
- PBS: History of Memorial Day
Photo… my own.
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