The Often Overlooked Black Origins Of Memorial Day

The Often Overlooked Black Origins Of Memorial Day

By Melissa Noel ·Updated May 26, 2025 The initial commemoration of Memorial Day is often disputed, with several places across the U.S. claiming to be the birthplace of the national holiday. However, it’s believed that one commemoration took place in Charleston, South Carolina before any others around the nation. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David W. Blight, newly freed African Americans who had fought in the Civil War adorned so…

Charleston's 1865 Tribute Marks Memorial Day Origin

Memorial Day is observed on Monday, but according to the Washington Post, one of the earliest known commemorations occurred on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina. Just weeks after the Civil War ended, thousands of newly freed Black Americans held a procession to honor more than 250 Union soldiers buried in unmarked graves at a former Confederate prison camp. Black schoolchildren led the way, laying flowers while choirs sang and ministers…