Happy Decoration Day!

Here's the history of how Decoration Day, a commemoration created by formerly enslaved Africans, became Memorial Day, now a national holiday. 

The transition of Decoration Day into what we now know as Memorial Day is a profound piece of American history, deeply rooted in the aftermath of the Civil War. While several towns claim to be the birthplace of the holiday, historians have uncovered that the earliest, largest recorded precursor was organized by newly freed African Americans.  

sdarj.org

Here is a brief history of how Decoration Day originated and evolved:

1. The True Roots: Charleston, SC (May 1, 1865)

In the final months of the Civil War, the Confederate military turned the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club in Charleston into an outdoor prison camp. More than 250 Union soldiers died there from disease and exposure and were buried in a chaotic mass grave behind the grandstands.  

chicagocrusader.com

When the city fell and white residents fled, a group of about 28 formerly enslaved Black workmen went to the site, exhumed the bodies, and gave them proper, individual burials. They built a tall fence around the new cemetery and erected an archway at the entrance inscribed with the words: "Martyrs of the Race Course."  

chsasalh.com

On May 1, 1865, a crowd of nearly 10,000 people—mostly freed slaves, alongside Black Union regiments and white missionaries—gathered to dedicate the cemetery.  

science.nasa.gov

The Parade: The procession was led by 3,000 Black schoolchildren carrying armloads of fresh flowers and singing "John Brown’s Body."  www.zinnedproject.org

The Honor: They were followed by Black women with baskets of wreaths, Black men marching in cadence, and Union infantry units (including the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment).

The Meaning: The crowd decorated the graves with flowers, listened to scripture, and held picnics. As historian David Blight notes, this was the very first informal "Decoration Day"—an act by newly freed people to declare exactly what the war had been fought for.  

www.zinnedproject.org

2. The Official Declaration (May 1868)

As informal springtime "decoration days" continued to pop up in both Northern and Southern communities to honor the staggering 700,000 Civil War dead, a formal movement took shape.  

science.nasa.gov

In May 1868, Major General John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (an organization of Northern Union veterans), issued General Order No. 11. This order officially designated May 30, 1868, as "Decoration Day"—a national day specifically set aside for "strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country." May 30th was chosen carefully because it was a time when flowers would be in full bloom across the entire nation.  

www.cem.va.gov

3. Keeping the Tradition Alive

Throughout the Reconstruction era and into the early 20th century, African Americans and Black veteran posts remained the primary caretakers and celebrants of Decoration Day in the South, keeping the memory of the Union sacrifice alive even as white Southern communities heavily policed or ignored it. Concurrently, Southern white communities practiced their own distinct "Confederate Memorial Days" on separate spring dates.  

www.nps.gov

4. Evolution into Memorial Day

chicagocrusader.com

Over the decades, the name "Memorial Day" gradually became more common than "Decoration Day".  

www.cem.va.gov

Post-World War I: The scope of the holiday expanded. It was no longer just about the Civil War; it was broadened to honor all American soldiers who had died in any military conflict.  

www.cem.va.gov

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act (1968/1971): To create a convenient three-day weekend for federal employees, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968. When it officially took effect in 1971, it legally changed the name to Memorial Day and moved its observation from the traditional May 30th to the last Monday in May.  

science.nasa.gov

What started as a localized, deeply emotional tribute by newly freed citizens to honor the soldiers who died for their emancipation ultimately transformed into the national day of remembrance observed today.  

science.nasa.gov

Source: Gemini AI

Miss Higgi Says, Happy Decoration Day!

Celebrate Black History 365!!!

Counting My Blessings...

Twenty years ago today on May 19th 2006, I graduated law school. I was a few days shy of 46 years old and ready to take on a new world. It had been a tumultuous 3 years of my life and this was a very proud moment for me. I had at least one hundred guests in the audience that day. I can still see their happy faces screaming as I spoke from the podium. And we had a nice party afterwards also. 

During my first year of law school I had the pleasure of meeting Congressman and Freedom Fighter, John Lewis. While I graduated from Rutgers University in New Jersey, I did my first year of law school at University of District of Columbia (UDC). During that year, I had the honor of meeting some really fabulous civil rights folks among them was John Lewis and Dorothy Height.

Congressman John Lewis was there giving a speech and promoting his book. I was just mesmerized by him. I approached and said, I have to have lunch with you. And, as most polite people would, he said, fine, call my office. Of course when I called the office I expected them to blow me off. Not at all... Instead, they asked when did I want to come. I couldn't believe it! It was just that simple y'all. Never be afraid of "no", just ask for what you want no matter how outlandish it may seem. That's been my motto in life. Sometimes I forget. On a day like today I am reminded to ask for what I want.

Fast forward, just a few weeks later I'm on the hill having lunch and spending a good part of the afternoon with our renowned civil rights hero. We talked in his office, we walked through the tunnel to the Congressional dining hall where we had lunch. I met his staff and many of his colleagues. It is a day that I will never forget. He was the nicest and most gracious person, acknowledging everyone from fellow politicians to janitors. He greeted everyone along our way in his beloved community. He was the real deal... 

Fast forward again, three years later I am a part of the student government team looking at potential commencement speakers. I'm more than 20 years older than my fellow graduates. They'd never heard of Congressman John Lewis, sadly, not even the Black ones. Trust me, it was a hard sell but I got them to understand why we should have him as our commencement speaker. 

One of the assistant deans in the law school was married to a congressman at that time. So it was decided that we would allow him to invite Congressman Lewis to be our speaker. After several weeks of him dragging his feet and that not happening, I approached the dean and said do you want me to call. At this point, it's in the interest of time. The dean said sure. Once again, I simply asked and again, "Mr. Good Trouble" said yes. I was thrilled. 

It was agreed amongst us students, class president included, that I would introduce the congressman on commencement day. Of course I would. It was me who got him, who thought of him, it was my idea. Well, one of my colleagues, the class president, worked for that congressman who never made the call to get him. And while she and the others on the committee had agreed that I would do the intro, now all of a sudden she was to introduce Congressman Lewis at graduation. I was being asked to step aside. I could not believe this was happening. This was to be a joyous moment...

The dean actually wanted me, the Black student who thought to bring a noted Black Civil Rights leader to campus, to step aside so Becky from Montana (not her real name, I don't even remember her name), yes Montana, could have the honor. This was race, politics, and the all too familiar paper cut micro aggression of "good liberals", all wrapped up in one punch to the gut. 

Of course, however, I was not settling for this. I gathered several of my female peers of all races and nationalities and along with one of the few Black professors we had on campus at the time, as mediator, we confronted the dean. We were very clear that it was our graduation and we got to decide who we wanted to speak. I was proud they stood up for me.

After agreeing to be our commencement speaker, I had another ask of Congressman Lewis. I asked that my peers and I could come and spend a day on the Hill with him as I did two years before. Again y'all, he said yes. These were the same students that went before the dean with me. 

Over the years I had several opportunities to mix with the Congressman. He knew me by name and face as a result of that one random request during my first year of law school. I remember being at the Democratic National Convention, I didn't have a ticket to get in the main event for Obama's acceptance speech. The good Congressman directed me to his office to get a ticket. Ask for what you want...

A compromise was made for our graduation ceremony that I didn't quite appreciate until the Black female professor explained the power of having the last word. So, Ms. Montana got to briefly welcome to the Congressman before he spoke. I got to publicly pay tribute to him after he spoke, in a way that my colleagues and those in the audience would always know his name and all the good trouble he had started in the interest of the good of this nation. What would he say now? Shame on the US Supreme Court for turning the clock back to erase the work of valiant Civil Rights workers like the Congressman and so many others.

May 19th, 2006, was certainly a day of honor for me, one I will never forget for a lot of reasons. Incredibly, I was damn near 50 graduating law school which you couldn't have told me I was going to be doing at 45. My Mom died at 45... She would have been quite proud!

 

Moreover, I cannot believe that it's been 20 years. Where did the time go? What have I done between the dashes? This is certainly a time for reflection, a time to remind myself of my tenacity, and the positive impact and influence I have had on so many others over the years, knowinly and unknowingly. People often remind and thank me. I am humbly grateful... 

While I did not start out to tell the story I just shared, the moral of the story is to never be afraid of "no". Never underestimate what you can do, Yes, you can! Always, always, ask for what you want for s/he who does not ask, certainly will not receive. 

Congratulations to me 20 years later! 

~ Miss Higgi Says, thank you for taking this stroll down Nostalgia Lane with me. 

Enjoy your day! Do something or ask for something you think out of reach! Go for it! 

Happy Birthday Malcolm X! Celebrate him and Congressman John Lewis today! They both left us a blueprint.

 

She's My Favorite Girl!

Anybody who grew up in the '70s, any Black person who grew up in the seventies, our Mother's Day anthem was, The Intruders singing I'll Always Love My Mama. It was blaring from people's houses, car radios, and I dare say, some version of it, from churches. On Mother's Day especially, it was on the top of everybody's playlist. 

We loved our Mamas and this song demonstrated all the reasons why and gave us a beautiful vehicle to shout it to the world. 

I can remember the pride it gave to Black Mothers everywhere to hear this anthem to and about them and know that it resonated with what they meant to their children. Kudos to The Intruders!

Many a Black Mother sacrificed for the well-being of her children. She is the OG of Mama Bears. She has ALWAYS HAD to protect her cubs...

I will always love my Mama and she's been gone for almost 40 years. I have lived more than half of my life without her physical presence. Still, however, I feel her love...

There is no love like the love of your Mama. I hope that you love your Mama as much as I love my Mama and that if you are blessed that she is still here, you make sure that she knows how much you love her today and everyday. You only get one, you only get one, yeah... 🎶

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. You make a difference and nobody can replace you. Not nobody! Not ever! 

Miss Higgi Says, 🎤 I'll Always Love My Mama, She's My Favorite Girl... 🎶

Happy Mother's Day!

Click here to enjoy The Anthem

https://youtu.be/AGaEceD74RU?si=Dv8exZVzmIFWf0Rk

Leave Them Behind

Today I unfriended and blocked a woman on Facebook who I met a few years back at a Korean Day Spa in Philly. I didn't know her from Eve. She is not someone I knew then, she is obviously not someone I need to know now... 

This woman revealed herself a trump supporter, an anti-Black Black appearing woman who supports this administration. She is the most dangerous kind of "Black" person. I need know nothing more about her. I've got no use for her kind... 👀

Anybody who can support, excuse, try to justify, or make sense out of what happened last week is a lost cause. Don't waste your time trying to convince these people that what happened to Black Americans last week is the manifestation, the culmination, of what Black folks have known was happening to us all along. Don't give them the space or opportunity to try and make sense out of nonsense. Time for dialogue has passed...

Don't let people gaslight you into second guessing yourself on that which is very clear... 

We must stop actively participating in the dance of gaslighting. Let them find another dance partner as you shuffle away, far away, from them...

The sheets are off! klan supporters are free to reveal themselves. Do give them that space. You want to know who they are. 

Recently, I told this self proclaiming, "I'm not a racist" white woman I was working for that I would rather deal with rednecks than liberals because at least with the rednecks, everybody knows where they stand. Meanwhile, liberals are smiling in your face, stabbing you in your back, ALL whole calling themselves your ally. Sometimes the knife wielding backstabber is Black presenting, a human specimen merely dipped in chocolate. What an absolute waste of good melanin... Either way, they've got to go! 

Giving racists the key to unlock and dismantle Black Americans right to legislative representation, ultimately our right to vote, a key component of hard won civil rights gains, was all we needed to hear. There is no other explanation than an all out war was loudly declared on Black people last week, make no mistake about it. The days of dog whistling are over. The muzzle has been removed from the rabid dog. He is barking out loud and ready to bite! 

Anybody who will try and convince you otherwise, see them, and be done with them. They don't mean you, or anybody who looks like you, any good. Even sane white people are looking at these negroids like what the f***? It's an illness that we don't understand. 

clarence thomas is their leader. If trump is the cult leader for the magas, uncle clarence is the cult leader for these confused chocolate dipped "Black" people. As my mama once told me about a boyfriend I adored, leave them where you find them. Be done with these folks. Wash your hands of them and simply walk away. I don't care if it's your daddy, he is a danger to the rest of us. Be done with them. 

In the words of Maya Angelou, when folks show you who they are, don't waste your time on dialogue or trying to fix them, believe them and let them be. 

Especially now, you're either with us or you're not. If you're not, in light of all that is happening, there is no wiggling room, no time or need for conversation or explanation. They are hopelessly sunken. Let them sink. You cannot reach them, so do not try. Revoke their card and don't ever give it back to them. They are not to be trusted. 

The chocolate dipped are definitely the ones that our Sistah Harriet would have left behind. In the best interest of you, more importantly, in the best interest of our community at large, Miss Higgi Says, Leave them behind...

Survival Is In Our DNA

Recently I saw an interview of a corn farmer who has basically lost everything. Apparently China was the prime customer for his product. trump's tariffs have killed his business. 

The farmer confessed that he is a three time trump voter. He conveyed receiving a government hand out, I mean, government subsidy or relief package that recouped only 20% of his loss. magas don't take hand outs... 👀  

The farmer is 80% in the hole with no viable means of recovering his livelihood. Still, this white farmer, says he supports trump and does not regret his vote. What is that if it ain't a need to maintain power at any costs, even to himself? 

There is no overcoming such a mindset, so don't waste your energies. If this farmer is your dad or some other loved one, just throw your hands up. There is no penetrating such delusion. These people are guided by blind racism and fantastical ideologies of supremacy. Despite all that tells them otherwise, they have to believe they are the superior race. What else do they have?

They truly believe this is their country and they will stop at nothing to maintain control and power. Never will they surrender or lose their majority status. As he drains the US till lining his and his cronies' pockets with ill gotten loot, their loot, the farmer's loot, trump gives them hope. 

They long for yesteryear with visions of terrorized Black captives and barefoot, pregnant white women with lots and lots of babies, dancing in their heads. Both are fearful. Both are obedient. Certainly, they don't defy them. In this vision, they want their property back. ALL of their property.  She was his property first... 

They yearn a time gone by when all was right in the[ir] world. I guess they forget that not all of them were rich owners of others and/or land and that many were two steps removed from being property themselves.

Many whites then, and now, were poor. Shhh, don't tell them. 

They came here poor, some came by choice looking for a better life, some were discarded by their home country because they were poor, criminal, diseased, and/or derelict. 

But for the grace, not of God, of America's commitment to perfecting racism in her creation of the delusion of white supremacy, they should have been breaking their backs building America working in the fields instead of or alongside the Black folks with whom they shared economic conditions but who they were taught to loathe or feel superior to so not to see themselves. 

What is it that Lyndon B. Johnso said about convincing the lowest white man that he was superior to even the best colored man?🤦🏾

The photo below depicts what they truly see and hope for when they hear "make America great again"... The dog need whistle no more. trump gives them space and permission to bark out loud. They are free to release the venom in their spirit that is ingrained in their DNA...

It's Monday morning y'all. Know that we shall survive. We always survive. Be inspired that survival is in our DNA...

~ Miss Higgi Says 

Source Unknown

Don't Steal My Flowers...

On most Sunday afternoons I host online live discussions, a podcast I suppose, on various subjects, mostly involving Black women, all involving subjects of interest or relevant to Black people. 

Ironically, or maybe not, last Sunday I hosted a conversation with Black women only about how we treat and respond to one another. It's a conversation that we tend not to have amongst/about ourselves. It was well received. A good discussion was had...

We don't talk enough about how we treat each other. There's a code that's unspoken, presumed known, and expected to be respected by others in our community. Sometimes that doesn't happen.

In the last week I have had two incidents where someone failed to give credit for work I've done. That's not cool y'all... 

One person derailed a group trip planned and coordinated by me. A friend of hers is now being credited for "coordinating" the trip. 👀 

Someone else on Facebook reposted my work which went viral absent acknowledgement that it was written by me... 👀 

It's rough out here in these creative streets. Protect your turf... 

I am addressing both issues. Below is the Facebook post I made in response to my written work reprinted absent author recognition.

Social media is a new animal, indeed. It's a phenomenon of its own, but it does not negate respect or protection of one's creative work. Often ownership of work is not indicated. But when it is, give the creator their props. Put some respect, some limits, on use of other people's property...

Here is my Facebook post:

Good Morning Folks,

I know that when we post intellectual property, our written or graphic creations, on social media platforms, we don't have a whole lot of control over what happens with it, who reads it, who reposts it, etc. I get that... 

So, I started adding my byline, Miss Higgi Says, to most of what I write. 

I respectfully ask, if in fact you share my creative work, please don't remove my signature byline, Miss Higgi Says, and do tag me, if you will... If I wrote something and didn't add any byline and you are so moved to share it, please indicate that I wrote it and not you, add the byline and tag me. This seems a small request, a professional courtesy...

I just realized that the piece I wrote the other day regarding the White House Correspondence Dinner was shared by 16 people from my Facebook page. I don't always make my posts shareable, my page is private. A friend asked me to make the piece shareable, which I didn't mind. I know when she shares my work she's going to indicate I wrote it. I would like to ASSume that friends, even most Facebook friends, will do the same. The emphasis on "most". I get that part too... I enjoy writing and appreciate any appreciation of my craft. 

A person in my Facebook friend group shared this particular piece and received over a thousand comments, most agreeing with or thanking her for what they presumably thought she wrote. It was shared 655 times from her page alone and likely by many others from there. In other words, my writing went viral. 

One problem...

My signature byline was removed from the post, simply replaced with a random tag of my name. No indication was given that I wrote it. That bothers me y'all...

Again, if you share something I wrote or created or anybody else wrote or created, boldly give that person credit for their work. That's all I'm saying. 

That's what's on my mind this morning... 

~ Miss Higgi Says,

Good Wednesday Morning & Do Unto Others...

It's Exhausting...

So we're supposed to believe that this random Black appearing guy strolled into a formal event hosted by this klan administration and nobody stopped him? 

Are we to believe that with all the people who hate him, all the wars he has provoked, all the lives he has ruined as he holds a seat of such high importance, that security around him is so lax that some random guy just strolls into a black tie affair he is hosting and shoots?

Are we to believe there was no security and that said random Black appearing man could just walk right into the hotel, much less the event, while packing?

Really? Is that what we are supposed to believe?

Anyone who lives in or who has ever lived in Washington, DC or been in the vicinity of anywhere any POTUS was scheduled to be, knows that the above is just not possible. Civilian lives are totally disrupted even when POTUS is just passing through.

But let us pretend, however, that this guy has some integrity and would never stage stunts, incidents, or "news" to distract the public or depict himself as a victim, denying him fodder to feed the warped minds of his hangry' base - Hungry and angry, hungry for regular feedings of hate to fuel their anger.

Let us pretend that the occupant is really presidential and that, on the heels of him ending the investigation of a previous "threat to his life", we should treat the drama at the White House Correspondence Dinner like a real occurrence or some serious newsworthy event,  never calling it by it's name, a high tech sham. 

It's exhausting y'all. Just exhausting... 

If the intent is to keep us distracted, confused, anxious, depressed, angry, fearful - take your pick - it's working. 

Shame on the media, elected officials, judicial figures, to include Supreme Court justices, and all others who prop this guy up as though he's presidential but must be obeyed, feared, and unchallenged like a king. 

Shame on them for their dereliction of duty to protect the nation from harm, especially from within. 

Shame on them for behaving as though there's anything normal about him, his presence in Washington, or his representation of America on the world stage. 

We know, as according to the press, at first, it was profitable for them to ignore his lies and buffoonery. For the sake of money and ratings, they chose to not question or challenge his vile behavior and comments, to pretend he was a real candidate. But at this point, it is anti-American, ethically and professionally irresponsible, and downright dangerous. Their lack of journalistic integrity puts us all at risk. I no longer respect the American "press" at all anymore. Social media pundits have more credibility.

He is so damn exhausting as we know is the game plan. Exhaust Americans by keeping us in a perpetual state of anxiety, depression, confusion, uncertainty, fear, anger, whatever it takes to distract us from what he's doing or not doing, like releasing the epstein files, inundating us with unenforceable executive orders, killing innocent fishermen and school girls, kidnapping presidents, erecting monuments to himself, tearing down the east wing and existing history, creating wars unnecessarily, robbing the coffers of the American public, putting our lives and the lives of our troops at risk.  So on, and so on, and so on...

WHEN, WHERE, HOW, but more importantly, WILL it end or this to become the new norm? Are you OK with that? 

maga, this is what you voted for? This is how we make America "great"? A great what? A great laughing stock? Mission accomplished.... 

Americans cannot REALLY be this stupid, this gullible, or so easily manipulated. Can they? I just refuse to believe they are the majority. At this time, it must be the dumb ones controlling the mic and occupying the larger stage.

Iran, a more reliable media source than American journalists and mainstream news networks, will have a field day with this. Already, before dawn of the new day, they have released a highly anticipated Lego mega hit about last night's fiasco at the dinner.

His only response has been to make an appeal for the ballroom. He's exhausting...