5.27.24 – Memorial Day: Remember and Honor

Memorial Day: Remember and Honor

Monday, May 27, 2024

Memorial Day is a day of solemn reflection, not a time for celebration. It is a day to honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country. When the Civil War began in 1861, Black men in the free states wanted to enlist, but federal law prohibited them from serving in the Army.

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It declared that as of January 1, 1863, enslaved people living in Confederate states would be freed and allowed to fight in the U.S. military.

On May 1, 1865, freed people gathered with members of the U.S. Colored Troops to bury and honor fallen Union soldiers. Over 10,000 people held a parade around an old race track in Charleston, South Carolina, where they sang hymns and decorated graves.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it emerged in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. An organization of Union veterans established the holiday to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers.

In 2000, Congress signed the National Moment of Remembrance Act into law, encouraging citizens to pause for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. local time every Memorial Day to remember those who have died in service to our country. This initiative aims to help Americans recognize the true meaning of Memorial Day and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by servicemen and women.

Today and every day, we honor all who have died in service to our country. Our freedom came at the expense of the brave heroes who lost their lives fighting to protect it. Let us remember and honor their sacrifice.