Dear Lansing School District Community,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. As always, it is a pleasure to be writing to you all. Today, I write this newsletter on Memorial Day.
Memorial Day began as a way to mourn and recognize the sacrifice given to defend the country by the Union soldiers who were killed during the Civil War. It was originally known as Decoration Day, for it was to be a day where people would go to the graves of fallen combatants and "decorate" the burial site. It was an active day of service. It was not about parades or BBQs. It wasn't about appliance sales or "the unofficial beginning of summer." It was a day where this country physically thanked the dead for sacrificing their lives to make the country better by laying flowers or flags on their graves.
Over the years, Memorial Day has morphed to include all those who died during military service, but the overall premise is still the same -- serving those that have made "the ultimate sacrifice." This is very different than Veterans Day, a day where this county recognizes all those who have served. Memorial Day, in some ways, is a "higher holiday," commemorating those that gave their lives, not all who served. And it is important to also notice the different origins -- Decoration Day vs Armistice Day.
On Memorial Day, we are supposed to decorate (Decoration Day); physically go to the grave, and make it better. We are called to clean the weeds engulfing the headstones, plant flowers in the grass, or possibly put a small flag by the tomb. Veterans Day in America came from celebrating the Armistice, the end of fighting in World War I. On that holiday, we commemorate all those who have served. Many "doughboys" were alive in 1919 (the year after the end of the war) when Armistice Day was first celebrated. And when it was made an official holiday years later, it was to celebrate peace and the work of our soldiers in making a better world. For Memorial Day, the original intent was to serve the dead and take an action to make sure their death was not in vain.
So, on this Memorial Day, I think about what kind of physical service we can do to commemorate not just our fallen soldiers but our fallen sisters and brothers, our families, and friends. How can we take the actions of widows from the 1860s and make it align with the needs of Lansing in 2023? We as a society can well learn from the practice of taking one day (I wish it were more) to remember through service to our community. Is there a park we can clean where someone died? Is there a street corner we can beautify where someone was killed? Are there places of our Lansing fallen that need sprucing? And in this act of collective service, together, we can learn about each other so that whatever violence befell our friends could hopefully end. So today and in perpetuity, on Memorial Day, we serve the fallen soldier. Perhaps next year, in the spirit of Memorial Day, we can pick another day when we will decorate sites in Lansing to serve our fallen friends and family.
Thank you so much for all of your incredible support of our district. Together, we will do great things for the children of Lansing.
Benjamin Shuldiner, Superintendent
Lansing School District
