Black History Month

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The First Memorial Day Was Black

Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May, 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C., to honor 257 dead Union soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in an upscale race track converted into a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for two weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 3,000 Black children, where they marched, sang and celebrated.

Posted on San Francisco BayView

By James DeWolf Perry

As we pause to remember the nation’s war dead, it’s worth remembering that Memorial Day was first celebrated by Black Union troops and free Black Americans in Charleston, South Carolina at the end of the Civil War.

As historian David Blight recounts in his masterful book, “Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory” (2001), Charleston was occupied by Union troops in the spring of 1865, most white residents having fled the city. In this atmosphere, the free Black population of Charleston, primarily consisting of former slaves, engaged in a series of celebrations to proclaim the meaning of the war as they saw it.

The height of these celebrations took place on May 1, 1865, on the grounds of the former Washington Race Course and Jockey Club, an elite facility which had been used by the Confederates as a gruesome prison and mass grave for unlucky Union soldiers. Following the evacuation of Charleston, Black laborers had dug up the remains of Union soldiers, given them a proper burial, and built the trappings of a respectful cemetery around the site to memorialize their sacrifice.

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[Events] This Week the Bay Area is All About Black Liberation

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Schedule of Events: Tonight – Tuesday, Feb 17th – Tuesday Feb 24th

*Tuesday Feb 17, 7pm: “The Militarization of police, Islamophobia and the Black Community” with Dhoruba Bin-Wahad”:

Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 4.00.08 PMJoin us for a discussion with brother Dhoruba Bin-Wahad a former Black Panther Party & BLA member and political prisoner who has been on the frontlines of struggle for liberation since the 1960’s up to the present day. Also speaking will be Kalonji Jama Changa of the FTP Movement based in Atlanta. This event will be at the Oakland Islamic Community Center and open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike and we would request all to wear modest clothing inside the Masjid.

This event will also be on Huey P. Newton’s birthday and the same week as the 50th anniversary of the assassination of El Hajj Malik Shabazz and the legacy of both of these freedom fighters will be discussed along with the topic: “Militarization of police, Islamophobia and the Black Community” Continue reading →