Memorial Day, an American national holiday dedicated to the memory of fallen US soldiers, is celebrated on the last Monday of May. Its beginnings however, started on the first day of May in 1865, when by a group of newly liberated Blacks in Charleston, South Carolina placed flowers on the unmarked graves of captured Union soldiers and held a parade to honor the dead.

• To learn more about what was originally known as "Decoration Day", check out the links to sources below:

• https://www.history.com/news/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston

• https://www.lx.com/black-legacy/dont-overlook-memorial-days-black-southern-roots/53453/

• https://www.live5news.com/2020/02/18/charleston-claims-first-memorial-day-celebration-with-african-americans-playing-significant-role/

• https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/05/28/freed-slaves-started-first-memorial-day-in-the-us/

• https://aaregistry.org/story/the-first-american-memorial-day-is-commemorated/

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