A Special Message from Mayor Angel Taveras on the Celebration of Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, let us remember those who gave their lives to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed in 1868 as a time of remembrance and reconciliation for our nation at the conclusion of the Civil War and as a time to honor the Union and Confederate soldiers who died on the battlefields. After World War I, the holiday's purpose was extended to honor all those who died as a result of war.

As we celebrate this holiday, let us reflect on the freedoms we enjoy in this country that were paid for by those who made the ultimate sacrifice. And let us also pay tribute to the brave men and women in the military who presently serve their country and are in harm's way.

I find this sentiment to be beautifully captured in a Memorial Day poem by Moina Michael:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

I wish everyone in Providence a safe, healthy and happy Memorial Day!

Mayor Angel Taveras