Welcome to Memorial Day 2021...

For many, the Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer, a time for corporate America to mark down its wares, a time to enjoy the improving weather with beers, BBQs, and a three-day weekend. 

The holiday’s true purpose is to honor the service of U.S. military personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty to ensure that Americans have the freedom to enjoy a three-day weekend, which is why some service members and veterans object to the phrase “Happy Memorial Day.” 

This distinguishes Memorial Day from Veterans Day - which honors former service members - and Armed Forces Day, which recognizes those currently serving in the military.

This USAFacts chart shows the 620,000 deaths that occurred in wars and military operations over the last 120 years and the breakdown of deaths from hostile action in combat and non-combat deaths from accidents and injuries:

Do You Know the Meaning of Memorial Day? Click here for more.

100th Anniversary of Tulsa Race Massacre

On May 31, 1921, angry white mobs attacked and burned down the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma—a segregated area of the city so prosperous it was known at the time as Black Wall Street.

For decades, the Tulsa Race Massacre - one of the most shameful historical chapters in American history - was shrouded in shared silence by perpetrators, victims, and their offspring.

The state declared the death toll to be only 36 people, including 12 who were white. But according to the 2001 Tulsa Race Riot Commission report - the most comprehensive review of the massacre - over 1,200 homes and buildings were destroyed by the violence, with mobs killing between 100 and 300 Black Americans and displacing 10,000 others.

Click here for the full history of the massacre.

Did you learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre in school?

Confederate Memorial Day

Today, Americans on both sides of the Mason-Dixon are setting off legal and illegal fireworks in honor of those who gave their lives fighting for the stars and stripes.

Throughout the south, however, a handful of states have another holiday to honor those who died fighting for the stars and bars.

Confederate Memorial Day is an official state holiday in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. It is unofficially observed in most southern states.

See which states honor those who died in the Civil War, then join the conversation:

Confederate Memorial Day is a:

All The Memes Fit To Post
 

And, In The End...

Toss Polly her favorite cracker for World Parrot Day.

—Josh Herman

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