Which Way, L.A.?
Memorial Day in America: Fun or Remembrance?
Memorial Day is a holiday dedicated to America’s war dead, but which is spent in very different ways in different cities, towns, neighborhoods and by different individuals.
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenMemorial Day is a holiday dedicated to America’s war dead, but which is spent in very different ways in different cities, towns, neighborhoods and by different individuals. Also, the dispute over the design of the Eisenhower Memorial. (Rebroadcast of today's To the Point.)
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Banner image: Memorial Day commemoration, 2008. Photo by David Yu/flickr
In this episode
2 storiesMemorial Day in America: Fun or Remembrance?
Memorial Day has divided Americans as much as it has united them. It began as a celebration of Union Army soldiers who died in the Civil War. Southern States didn't embrace it until after World War I — and some still hold separate "Decoration Days" to remember the casualties of the Confederacy.
Read the story24 minThe Dispute over the Eisenhower Memorial Design
Architect Frank Ghery was chosen three years ago to design a memorial to the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the Washington Mall. But Eisenhower's descendents objected to his design. Dell Upton is Professor and Chair of the Art History Department at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Read the story27 min