Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Memorial Day didn’t begin with parades—it began with freed Black Americans in 1865, honoring Union soldiers who died fighting for their freedom.

In war-torn Charleston, they held a powerful ceremony of remembrance and resistance. It’s a story left out of most history books.

It’s the story of the first Memorial Day.

Audio
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time.com/5836444/black-memorial-day
insider.com/black-history-of-the-first-memorial-day-2022-5
history.com/news/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston
amsterdamnews.com/news/2023/05/25/freed-slaves-started-first-memorial-day-in-the-us