1.  Well, I just went down a rabbit hole.

2.  It started with this video.

3.

@ashleytheebarroness

#daughtersoftheconfederacy #confederatemonuments #education #manipulate #losers #americanhistory #historytok #fyp

♬ original sound – Ashley

4.  I live in a pretty rural county in North Carolina.

5.  The Daughters of the Confederacy is a big freaking deal here.

6.  And by big freaking deal I mean there’s still a solid presence in our area pushing a reverence narrative for those good old days.

7.  They may have also participated in some cyber stalking/bullying behavior on Facebook (allegedly) back in 2020 and 2021, but that’s a story for another time.

8.  Anyway, Ashley’s video taught me a whole lot about the organization but I thought it might be good to read more background before writing my post.

9.  Cue googling United Daughters of the Confederacy.

10.  I sidestepped wikipedia and went straight to the organization’s official website. Don’t know what I expected to find but here’s the opening from their President General’s statement.

11.  “As early as 1866, ladies across the South began to decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers. What they called “Decoration Day” eventually became our Memorial Day, a day to remember the men who fought for their states, homes and families.”

12.  Wait, what?

13.  That didn’t sit quite right. It actually sat kind of wrong.

14.  I’m remembering a video on the origins of Memorial Day and I was certain it centered Black history.

15.  There’s tons of them out there. Here’s one:

@dejoncampbell

History books say Memorial Day started in 1868, but the first real memorial happened three years earlier. This is the story that often gets overlooked. Video Sources: Dr. David Blight (Yale University historian), History.com, PBS NewsHour, College of Charleston archives, Time Magazine. #BlackHistory #MemorialDay #Charleston1865

♬ original sound – dejoncampbell

16.  Cue another google search: “origins of Memorial Day.” That led us to PBS.

17.  PBS talks about the first national event on May 30, 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery.

18.  “This national event galvanized efforts to honor and remember fallen soldiers that began with local observances at burial grounds in several towns throughout the United States following the end of the Civil War, such as the May 1, 1865 gathering in Charleston, South Carolina organized by freed slaves to pay tribute and give proper burial to Union troops.”

19.  Which brings me back to the United Daughters of the Revolution and their “As early as 1866” lead in.

20.  You see it, right?

21.  Because to me that lead in sure sounds like those white ladies in the south took credit for the evolution into Memorial Day.

22.  And that’s what I have to say about that.

23.  But also WHITE PEOPLE WTF.

24.  Okay, now that’s what I have to say about that.

25.  I’m feeling prickly.

26.  It’s not just the Daughters of the Confederacy (although I’ll note we didn’t actually talk about the bulk of that first video and how this organization shaped the conversation for generations).

27.  I’m stuck in the project from hell.

28.  There’s a lot of if/then things happening here.

29.  If that company would just do their job then we could finish out our agreement.

30.  If a representative was reachable by phone then we might be able to get somewhere faster.

31.  If the manager would sign the freaking document then I could stop dealing with this mess.

32.  JUST DO IT, MAN.

33.  I want to send a giant balloon arrangement that screams you don’t want to hear from me anymore, I know you’re sick of this too, so just SIGN THE THING and we’ll all get on with our lives.

34.  Surely there’s a company that does that sort of thing.

35.  Bonus points if obnoxious music is involved.

36.  See? Prickly.

37.  It’s been going on for months and at this point I feel like I should come with a warning label.

38.  Breathe in, breathe out, channel the zen.

39.  I’m lying. There is no zen here.

40.  And that’s forty. Stay cool, hydrated, and on the right side of history.