Why Memorial Day Has Special Significance for African Americans

The Root ^ | May 25 2015 | THEODORE R. JOHNSON III

[nickcarraway]

They have long been overrepresented in the military, serving and dying for a country that has not always celebrated their freedom or rewarded their sacrifice.

Memorial Day is a sacred occasion when we pay tribute to all the military men and women who have died in service to the United States. It is also an observance that owes its creation to blacks. This tradition began when newly freed slaves decorated the grave sites of Civil War soldiers as a way to honor those who had fought for their freedom. But blacks were not just passive bystanders. Many of volunteered to serve in the military, ensuring they were active in reshaping the United States to be truer to its founding principles.

It is for this reason that Memorial Day should hold special significance for all black Americans, but especially for those who are veterans or serving in the military today. As the country memorializes the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, it is important to remember that thousands of them were black Americans who were treated as second-class citizens in the country for which they fought. But they voluntarily served, anyway, because of their belief in their and in the hope that their display of devotion to the nation would result in gains for all black Americans.

From the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts, black men and women have served with dignity and honor. And many would not or could not live to see the progress the country has made. Black service members have lived in a United States where their people were lynched, segregated and forbidden any involvement in the political process.

Yet they still went off to battle because they believed black people would never be equal in the United States if they didn’t

[Jeff Chandler]

Special Forces have few black men.

I understand that Special Forces is predominately manned by Hispanics and southern whites.

[ari-freedom]

"The lion’s share of the work and sacrifice came from from white Europeans who emigrated and assimilated. "

I find that hard to believe...