On Memory, part two: the Black and Union history of Memorial Day, and how George Floyd, for a time, restored our honor

Memorial Day began as Decoration Day -- a commemoration by Black freedmen of the Union dead.

Did you know that Memorial Day began as Decoration Day — a commemoration created by Black freedmen to honor the Union dead; the soldiers, white and Black, whose heroism liberated millions of Africans enslaved in this country? Here’s a great, concise history, courtesy of The Root.

It says something about America that this country eschews any direct celebration of one of our greatest war victories, because the victory happens to have been against the enslavers who for a time, claimed to be fellow citizens. Well those citizens quit the country in determination to remain enslavers, and so they deserved and earned their fate. A rational country would hail the victors and name forts and military bases after them, not the defeated villains. We are not a rational country, and so we did the opposite, until George Floyd, in his death, helped us to retrieve our honor, with the help of our first Black secretary of defense:

A U.S. Army commission has recommended new names for nine military bases commemorating Confederate officers, including the head of its army, the reputed Georgia chief of the Ku Klux Klan and the commander whose troops fired the first shots of the Civil War.

The Naming Commission, which was established by Congress in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, suggested a list of names for the military installations that include women and Black Americans for the first time, rather than white men.

Each of the posts, located in states stretching from Virginia to Texas, are currently named for a Confederate officer. The names were often given long after the Civil War—including many in the first half of the 20th Century when the U.S. military was rushing to open training posts for both world wars.

The panel, composed of former uniformed and civilian military leaders, visited the installations to gain feedback from soldiers and the community about “their process, preferences for new names and an understanding of local sensitivities.” The commission said it received more than 34,000 submissions related to naming activities.

Calls to rename military bases, ships and other military assets intensified in 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and the ensuing national reckoning on racial injustice. The Naming Commission posted an inventory list to its website in March of more than 750 Department of Defense items identified for review to determine whether their names commemorate the Confederacy and if a recommendation for renaming is warranted. Among the items on the list are streets, civil works, buildings, paintings, vessels, signs and the military installations themselves.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin must now approve the naming recommendations of the bases to fully enact them.

The new regime, of course, is aiming to put our dishonor back in business (though he lacks the honesty and courage to do it for real…

During Joe Biden's presidency, Congress created the Naming Commission to identify military assets with Confederacy-related names. In 2023, nine U.S. bases, which had exclusively commemorated white men, received new names, some of which honored women and people of color.

The original base names came under scrutiny following George Floyd's murder and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests across the country. However, the Trump administration has shown a desire to return to the previous names—though commemorating different figures—and Tuesday's renaming marks the second such reversal.

On Monday, Hegseth signed a memorandum directing that Fort Moore be renamed Fort Benning.

The installation is set to commemorate Army Corporal Fred G. Benning, who "served with extraordinary heroism during World War I with the United States Army, and in recognition of the installation's storied history of service to the United States of America," the memo said.

The base was originally named after Confederate General Henry L. Benning in October 1918, but it was renamed Fort Moore in May 2023 to honor Army Lieutenant General Hal Moore and his wife, Julia Compton Moore.

In 2022, the Naming Commission estimated that it would cost $4.9 million to change Fort Benning to Fort Moore. So the cost of changing the name back could carry a similar price tag.

The other installations that received name changes were Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Bragg, Fort Gordon, Fort Hood, Fort Lee, Fort Pickett, Fort Polk and Fort Rucker. [Emphasis added]

Well, so long as it’s renamed for a white man, I guess it’s good enough for the TV host.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day has obviously grown to encompass all of our veterans, particularly those who fought in the great European wars of the early 20th century — but also those who fought in the “special military actions” that followed, in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. In short, the holiday is meant to honor all of our veterans, in wars we had to fight, and those whose battered soldiers put their lives on the line for various presidents’ geopolitical whims. It’s the men and women we honor, not the wars.

Someone please tell that to this fool, who failed to even mention America’s fallen veterans in his Memorial Day social media rant:

Happy Decoration Day to all … well except for our degenerate president and his cult.

Good night, Charlie

Former congressman Charles “Charlie” Rangel, a Korean war hero who earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, and a dean of Harlem New York, has passed away on this Memorial Day, at the ripe old age of 94. The Amsterdam News reported it this way:

Charles Bernard Rangel, the former congressman from Harlem, and the last remaining founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, has died at age 94. Rangel passed away on Monday, May 26, Memorial Day, surrounded by family. He was a native of Harlem, and the lone surviving member of the legendary Gang of Four. He took his reputation as the “Lion of Lenox Avenue” to the House of Representatives in 1971 after defeating the renowned Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. The apogee of his tenure in Congress was in 2007 when he became chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

“Throughout his career, Congressman Rangel fought tirelessly for affordable housing, urban revitalization, fair tax policies, and equal opportunities for all Americans,” his family said in a statement.

In his autobiography, Rangel claimed he never had a bad day since he survived an attack by the Chinese and the North Korean armies when he served in the Korean War, “but it doesn’t mean I haven’t had some heartbreaking experiences,” he wrote, particularly noting the loss of his brother. “Setbacks I’ve had; but bad days, no.”

“Charlie was a transformative leader, he used his political position to elevate the people he represented. He was accessible and always available to anyone who came to him for assistance. He demonstrated that political figures could be honorable and serve as great examples for young people to follow. From Harlem, he made his mark on the country. He will always be remembered as a warrior for justice and equality,” said former NYS State Comptroller H. Carl McCall in a statement to the AmNews.

“It is sadly appropriate that my close friend and mentor ‘The Lion Of Lenox Avenue’ the great Charles B. Rangel would transition on Memorial Day,” said Lloyd Williams, President and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce (GHCC). “Rangel was a true American hero, having been awarded the prestigious Purple Heart when fighting for our country during the Korean War in the 1950’s. Rangel will definitely go down in history as one of the most important and effective members of Congress. He will truly be missed internationally, nationwide throughout New York, but especially in his beloved Harlem where ‘he was the man.’”

Rev. Al Sharpton honored his friend in a deeply personal post on his Instagram page, as did so many Harlemites who knew and loved him. I met Rep, Rangel only a couple of times, both times thanks to Rev. Al, at 30 Rock. His gravely voice and uniquely Harlem style were something you could not forget. He had his troubles during his political career to be sure, but he was truly a giant of New York, Harlem, and American politics.

People often forget that it was Rangel who dethroned the legendary Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from Congress, by defeating him in a primary in 1970, and helping to co-found the Congressional Black Caucus. He then served in Congress for 46 years, rising to the chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He was the last surviving member of New York’s legendary Gang of Four, which also included New York’s first Black mayor, David Dinkins; Basil Paterson, father of former governor David Paterson, and Percy Sutton, the longtime business and political guru and Malcolm X’s former legal counsel. A true Harlem legend.

Rep Charlie Rangel through the years.

Here is the statement from the City College of New York:

"He served for 23 terms in the House of Representatives and was cited as the most effective lawmaker in Congress, leading all of his colleagues in passing legislation. He was the primary sponsor of President Obama's historic health care reform law. Recognized as one of the hardest working legislators in Congress, he sponsored 40 bills and resolutions that became law throughout his tenure."

Here’s a good CBS News local recap of Rangel’s life and legacy.

Good night, Charlie. They don’t make them like you anymore.

And happy Decoration Day / Memorial Day to all.

Read Part One of this two-part series: On Memory