Forgotten Founders – Newly freed Black Americans led one of the earliest known Memorial Day observances in 1865. By Ashley Gorbulja.
Every year, on the last Monday of May, Americans honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. Memorial Day is a solemn testament to valor, marked by ceremonies, parades and moments of reflection. It is a time to ensure that the sacrifices of the fallen are remembered.
The origins of this sacred day are deeply intertwined with African American history, a fact often overlooked. One of the earliest recorded observances was led by thousands of former slaves in Charleston, S.C., in the aftermath of the Civil War. This extraordinary act of tribute not only honored the dead but solidified the community’s roles in shaping this enduring national tradition.
On May 1, 1865, nearly 10,000 people – primarily newly freed Black men and women – gathered at the city’s Washington Race Course and Jockey Club, which had been used as a Confederate prison. There, hundreds of Union soldiers had died from disease and mistreatment, their bodies hastily buried in unmarked graves.
Determined to grant them a proper and dignified burial, Black community members – including freedmen and ministers – worked to rebury more than 250 Union soldiers in a new cemetery. Over the entrance, they buyi8lt an archway inscribed with “Martyrs of the Race Course.”
The commemoration included a solemn parade led by 3,000 Black children carrying flowers, musical tributes (including hymns and patriotic songs such as “John Brown’s Body”), speeches by Union Officers and ministers, and formal military honors, with Black Union regiments marching in formation.
David Blight, a scholar and historian on Civil War memory, uncovered details of the event from newspaper reports of the time, calling it one of the first Memorial Day commemorations in US history. But it was not just a collective act of mourning. The gathering was a bold statement of African Americans’ role in preserving the Union. By organizing one of the earliest Memorial Day observances, they laid the foundation for a tradition of remembrance that continues today.
Nearly 200,000 Blacks enlisted in the Union Army and Navy during the Civil War, showing courage and dedication despite unequal pay, segregation and racism. Following the war, they played a critical role in shaping Memorial Day observances. Many joined the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization for veterans; though some posts were integrated, others were segregated, leading Black veterans to establish their own posts.
Initially known as Decoration Day, the National Day of Remembrance was widely observed by both Black and white communities in the decades following the Civil War. In 1868, Gen John Logan – a GAR commander – issued General Order No. 11, calling for an annual Decoration Day to honor fallen Union soldiers. After World War I, the holiday expanded to include all US military personnel who died in service.
As a nation pursued reconciliation between North and South, the role of African Americans in establishing a day of remembrance faded from memory. The “Lost Cause” movement, which sought to reframe the Civil War as a fight for states’ rights rather than a battle over slavery, led to the establishment of Confederate Memorial Days in Southern States.
By the time Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971, its grassroots origins were largely forgotten.
Asley Gorbulja is an Army National Guard veteran from Arlington, VA