Fort Polk renamed Fort Johnson to honor African American WWI hero

As part of the national campaign to change the names of U.S. Army installations to cut ties with Confederate figures in America, Louisiana’s Fort Polk was redesignated to Fort Johnson Tuesday morning.

The campaign includes renaming nine U.S. Army bases, including North Carolina’s Fort Bragg changed to Fort Liberty, Texas’ Fort Hood changed to Fort Cavazos and Georgia’s Fort Benning changed to Fort Moore, among other changes.

Fort Polk was originally named after Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, a Confederate commander.

Now, the Fort Johnson base is honored for Sgt. William Henry Johnson, an African American World War I Medal of Honor recipient who served in the all-Black 369th U.S Infantry Regiment.

“Sgt. William Henry Johnson embodied the warrior spirit, and we are deeply honored to bear his name at the Home of Heroes,” said Brig. Gen. David W. Gardner, commanding general of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, in the press release.

The North Carolina native served one tour of duty on the western edge of the Argonne Forest in France’s Champagne region from 1918-1919, and became one of the first Americans to be awarded France’s highest award for valor, the French Croix de Guerre avec Palme.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, former President Theodore Roosevelt called Johnson one of the five bravest Americans to serve in World War I.

After his death in July 1929, Johnson was awarded the Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2003, and most recently, the Medal of Honor in 2015.

More names are expected to be changed through the renaming campaign, including Georgia’s Fort Gordon changed to Fort Eisenhower to commemorate Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Virginia’s Fort A.P. Hill will be changed to honor Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.

[SOURCE: UPI]

Louisiana Army base named after confederate general could be renamed after African American soldier

During the Jim Crow era, nine Southern Army bases were named for treasonous Confederate generals who fought to preserve slavery and white supremacy. Now a commission established by Congress has suggested new names for the bases that “embody the best of the United States Army and America.”

Fort Polk in Louisiana would be renamed Fort Johnson after Harlem hellfighter, Sgt. Henry Johnson if the recommendations are approved by Congress.

Pvt. Henry Johnson deployed to Europe during World War I in a storied Black regiment known as the Harlem Hellfighters. The U.S. armed forces were segregated, and the Hellfighters were not allowed to fight on the front lines with other U.S. troops. Instead, the Black soldiers fought under the command of their French allies.

That put Johnson and his unit at the front lines, “against all odds — Black Americans wearing French uniforms,” in the predawn hours of May 15, 1918, as German troops swarmed his sentry post at the edge of the Argonne Forest, according to a biography provided by the naming commission.

Johnson threw grenades until he had no more left to throw. Then he fired his rifle until it jammed. Then he clubbed enemy soldiers with the butt of his rifle until it split apart. Then he hacked away at the enemy with his bolo knife.

After the Germans retreated, daylight revealed that Johnson had killed four enemy soldiers and wounded an estimated 10 to 20. He suffered 21 wounds in combat.

For their actions, Johnson and his sentrymate on duty that night were the first Americans to be awarded the Croix du Guerre, one of France’s highest military honors. Almost a century later, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Johnson the Medal of Honor.

General Lee Avenue in Fort Hamilton renamed for Black Vietnam War hero

BROOKLYN NY - After years of controversy, Fort Hamilton has removed the name of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from an avenue on the Brooklyn Army base, replacing it with that of Lt. John Warren Jr, a Black Vietnam War hero from Crown Heights.

While serving as a platoon leader in Vietnam, the 23-year-old shielded his fellow soldiers from an enemy grenade. Warren later died in the war.

He received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.

A century after his death, the first Black US Army colonel is promoted to general

On Friday, Col. Charles Young, West Point Class of 1889, was posthumously promoted to the rank of Brig. Gen. by Secretary Army Honorable Christine Wormuth. The promotion took part during Inspiration Week and was hosted by the U.S. Military Academy to mark the dedication of its cadets’ and the greater communities’ commitment to service.

Charles Young was born in Mays Lick, Kentucky, to enslaved parents in 1864. He valued education throughout his life and graduated with honors from high school in Ohio, where his parents escaped slavery.

Young taught elementary school and eventually entered the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., where he was its third Black graduate.

He went on to become the first Black military attaché to a foreign country and served in various assignments from Haiti and Liberia, to Mexico and Nigeria. When he was medically discharged from active duty, Young was the highest-ranking Black officer in the military, having been promoted to Colonel.

Following his death, Young was given full military honors and burial in Arlington National Cemetery, a reminder to Americans of his legacy as a leader, his perseverance despite obstacles and his heroic example to others.

Houston Law School & NAACP to Continue Fight for Clemency for Camp Logan Soldiers Unjustly Convicted, Punished in Houston in 1917

A large crowd of community leaders gathered at South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL Houston) Friday to officially commemorate the law school’s ongoing collaboration with the NAACP Houston Branch to fight for clemency for the 110 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment convicted by General Courts-Martial for their alleged role in the 1917 Camp Logan uprising.

“This incident was one of the first projects the NAACP Houston Branch ever investigated a century ago, and it continues to be important to us today,” said Dr. James Dixon, NAACP Houston Branch board president. “We must address this past injustice and educate people about the wrongs that occurred so they don’t happen again. We are determined to seek clemency for these soldiers because it is never too late to do the right thing.”

Geoffrey Corn, the Gary A. Kuiper Distinguished Professor of National Security Law at STCL Houston and retired U.S. Army JAG officer, explained the Camp Logan history leading to this work.

“On Aug. 23, 1917, members of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment — an all-African American Army unit with a distinguished history of combat service (often called the Buffalo Soldiers) — marched out of its encampment in Houston to confront what it believed was a white mob setting upon the soldiers,” Corn noted at the event.

The incident, which resulted in the deaths of 11 locals and six soldiers, was the culmination of weeks of racially charged confrontations between members of the unit and the local Houston police.

“The actual violence that night lasted approximately three hours, but the implications of the unjust convictions and punishments that occurred afterward have lasted a century,” Corn said. “These soldiers – regardless of the circumstances of the violence that occurred – did not receive due process and had no opportunity to appeal. The justice system failed them.”

“The NAACP Houston Branch and South Texas South Texas College of Law Houston share a common priority: a focus on justice,” said Michael F. Barry, STCL Houston president and dean. “We also have a shared interest in ensuring an accurate historical narrative of the events that transpired at Camp Logan and the stories of the soldiers involved. Finally, we have a common interest in restoring the proper honor and respect for the Buffalo Soldiers stationed at Camp Logan – soldiers who were some of the bravest men in our nation.”

Professor Angela Holder — great-niece of Cpl. Jesse Moore, one of the soldiers convicted and executed in 1917 — gave a personal perspective during the event. “These 24th Infantry Regiment soldiers are not just names in history. They are real people. They are my Aunt Lovie’s brother. My Uncle Jesse. They sacrificed for our country, and now they deserve clemency.”

Because of their shared commitment to equal justice under the law, the NAACP Houston Branch and STCL Houston will continue collaborating to fulfill the mission of obtaining clemency for these Camp Logan soldiers, Barry said.

In the years following the 1917 incident, the NAACP led an effort to draw attention to this rush to judgment, which led to pressure on President Wilson to intervene and demand legal review of the two courts-martial that followed the first trial of 63 soldiers (the largest criminal trial in U.S. history). This review, and the public outrage over the first trial, led President Wilson to commute a number of death sentences to life in prison.

However, clemency remains the goal. The NAACP Houston Branch led an effort, initiated on the 100th anniversary of the incident in 2017, to seek a pardon for the 13 soldiers sentenced to death in the first trial. Unfortunately, that effort stalled without a successful outcome.

Professor Corn was asked to provide advice to the NAACP group working on this effort, and he continues to be actively involved. Professor Dru Brenner-Beck — also a retired U.S. Army JAG officer who will join the STCL faculty this summer — has led an effort along with historian John Haymond to conduct a comprehensive review of the records related to this incident and these military trials, based on extensive historical records here at the law school and other records throughout the country.

South Texas librarians and law students working in the Actual Innocence Clinic have contributed substantially to this effort by providing important research and narratives of the many soldiers convicted in the trials.

“We and the NAACP Houston Branch are committed to the Camp Logan soldiers in part to restore their honor; in that sense, this effort is about the past, about righting a historic wrong,” Barry said. “But this effort benefits us all tomorrow, as well, helping ensure that the violations of due process of a century ago will never be repeated.”

Sgt. Alwyn Cashe becomes 1st African American recipient of Medal of Honor since 9/11

President Joe Biden on Thursday awarded the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military award for valor -- to three U.S. soldiers for risking their lives "above and beyond the call of duty" during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, the first Black service member to be so honored since the 9/11 attacks.

"Today, we honor three outstanding soldiers, whose actions embody the highest ideals of selfless service," Biden said at the ceremony. "We also remember the high price our military members and their families are willing to pay on behalf of our nation."

Cashe suffered fatal injuries while serving in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005, after rescuing fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Salah Ad Din Province, according to the White House.

Cashe died 16 years ago at the age of 35 and his widow, Tamara Cashe, accepted the posthumous award on his behalf during a White House ceremony.

Cashe grew up in Oviedo, Florida, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1989 after graduating from Oviedo High School. He was deployed in the 1991 Gulf War and served in Korea and Germany before being deployed to Iraq in 2005 while serving as a platoon sergeant in the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Cashe was initially awarded the Silver Star, the Army's third-highest honor for valor in combat, but his battalion commander, Lt. Gen. Gary Brito, and other officers advocated for years that Cashe deserved to be upgraded for the Medal of Honor. Cashe-White said that Brito and the 3rd Infantry Division had "been with us every step of the way."

When the vehicle that Cashe was commanding became engulfed in flames during an attack, his uniform caught fire and he sustained severe burns while extinguishing the flames and rescuing his fellow soldiers, according to the White House. Even after suffering injuries, he repeatedly approached the vehicle and helped four soldiers escape while being targeted by live fire.

"He went back into the inferno for a third time and got everyone out of that inferno," Biden said at Thursday's ceremony. "That was his code; his love for his Third Infantry Division ran deep. No soldier was going to be left behind on his watch."

82nd Airborne welcomes first African-American female brigade command sergeant major

The 82nd Airborne Division welcomed Command Sergeant Major Tonya Sims during a change of responsibility ceremony.

Sims is the first African American woman soldier to serve as the brigade command sergeant major within the division.

The command sergeant major is the senior noncommissioned officer in a unit who advises the commander on all issues related to the enlisted ranks. Commanders employ their command sergeants major throughout an area of operations to extend command influence, assess morale of the force, and assist during critical events.

She now oversees more than 1,700 paratroopers.

Rosetta Ellis-Pilie Named ESPN Vice President, Talent Development and Negotiations

Accomplished ESPN executive Rosetta Ellis-Pilie has been named ESPN Vice President, Talent Development and Negotiations, effective May 1, it was announced today by Norby Williamson, ESPN Executive Vice President, Production and Executive Editor. In that role, Ellis-Pilie will lead the day-to-day efforts of ESPN’s Talent Office, which is responsible for hiring, developing and guiding ESPN’s commentator team, negotiating contracts, and collaborating with many ESPN departments and external contacts on all matters related to commentator roles and responsibilities. She will report to Williamson.

Ellis-Pilie, who joined ESPN in 2011, has worked in its Legal Department for nearly a decade, most recently as ESPN’s Vice President and Assistant Chief Counsel. As part of that wide-ranging role, she has been instrumental in developing, negotiating and finalizing hundreds of agreements related to ESPN’s rights, content, and on-air commentators. Recent examples include her direct involvement in ESPN’s groundbreaking agreement with UFC, Stephen A Smith’s contract extension, and legal management of the multi-faceted sports and entertainment elements of the ESPYS and ESPN Radio.

“Rosetta is well respected at ESPN and throughout our industry,” Williamson said. “She brings relevant experience, strong leadership traits and a fresh perspective to this pivotal role. ESPN has the most skilled, diverse talent team, and Rosetta will undoubtedly drive continued success through a focus on fostering growth and hiring the best people.”

Ellis-Pilie, who is currently on maternity leave until her scheduled May 1 return, added, “This is an exceptional opportunity, particularly given its importance to ESPN’s connection with sports fans and our overall business. I am truly excited to continue to interact with colleagues across the company as well as outside contacts, many of whom I have worked closely with on projects over the past decade. Our talent lineup is the forward-facing cornerstone of ESPN and I look forward to joining forces with them directly when I start this exciting new chapter in May.”

Prior to assuming her Assistant Chief Counsel role, Ellis-Pilie had served as Assistant Counsel, Associate Principal Counsel and Principal Counsel at ESPN. Overall, her ESPN work has included: providing legal guidance on labor and employment matters related to ESPN’s dozens of business entities; drafting and negotiating numerous on-air and behind-the-scenes personnel agreements; negotiating major rights deals including with UFC and Top Rank Boxing, managing the legal elements for the ESPYS such as celebrity hosts, musical performances, venue, sponsors and footage rights; and overseeing legal aspects for ESPN Radio and its hundreds of affiliates.

Ellis-Pilie served in the United States Army and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. She has received numerous awards for excellence and her stationed sites included Germany, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait. She participated in The Walt Disney Company’s “Heroes Work Here” campaign, which helps hire, train and support military veterans entering the civilian workforce. She was featured in the program’s national ad campaign, moderated a related panel, and appeared on The View during its Salute to Military episode.

Ellis-Pilie has also represented ESPN and The Walt Disney Company on various industry initiatives and panels, including Disney Lawyers of Color Career Information panel, Georgetown Law School Sports, Entertainment and Media Law symposium’s “Representation of Content Creators” panel, and served as a final round judge for the Robert F. Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition. Among her honors, Ellis-Pilie was recognized in 2016 by Savoy Magazine as one of the Top 100 Influential Women in Corporate America.

Before joining ESPN, Ellis-Pilie led the domestic and international labor and employment law practice for Sun Chemical Corporation and was a Labor and Employment Associate at McDermott, Will & Emery and at Proskauer Rose LLP.

A graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in Criminal Justice and a minor in Business Administration, the New Jersey-native earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. While there, she served as a member of the Virginia Law Review, the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & Law, and on the inaugural Managing Board of the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal.

Tuskegee Airman from N.J. dies at 101

Tuskegee Airmen Malcolm Nettingham, 101, of Scotch Plains, NJ died Monday. He would have been 102 on Oct. 1.

“He said he was not a hero and didn’t do anything special,” his daughter Deborah Nettingham said. “I said ‘dad, you’re living history. You kind of owe it to the younger generation, African Americans and everyone to let us know your story.’"

Nettingham was among a group of African American soldiers selected in 1944 to integrate a radio communication class in the Army Air Corps. He was stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey and trained as a radio operator/gunner on a B-25 bomber in 1945.

He became part of the important support units for the renowned, trailblazing Black squadron.

He was honorably discharged in 1946 and spent 32 years working for an industrial electronics company until his retirement.

Nettingham was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.

Nettingham was survived by his daughter Deborah, of Scotch Plains, and son, Malcolm V., of Piscataway; six grandchildren and other family members. He was a member of the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Scotch Plains for the past 96 years where he taught Sunday school and sang in the choir.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

RIP U.S. Army Spc. Antonio I. Moore

In a release from the Department of Defense on Saturday, it was announced that Spc. Antonio I. Moore of Wilmington, N.C. died while deployed overseas.

Moore, who was just 22 years old, was assigned to the 363rd Engineer Battalion, 411th Engineer Brigade. He died in a rollover accident while conducting route clearing operations in Deir ez Zor Province, Syria. He was deployed to Syria as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

“The 363rd Engineer Battalion is deeply saddened at the loss of Spec. Antonio Moore,” said Lt. Col. Ian Doiron, 363rd Engineer Battalion commander. “Antonio was one of the best in our formation. He will be missed by all who served with him. We will now focus on supporting his family and honoring his legacy and sacrifice.”

Moore’s awards and decorations include National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

He is survived by his mother, stepfather, three brothers and one sister.

99-year-old Tuskegee Airman awarded five overdue WWII medals

99-year-old Thomas Franklin Vaughns served in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946 as a mechanic for the Tuskegee Airman and was also later drafted into the Korean War.On August 21, 2019 Vaughns received five long overdue military medals.

1st African American named Nevada Guard’s adjutant general

60-year-old Brig. Gen. Ondra Berry; a 32-year veteran of the National Guard has been named as Nevada’s first African-American adjutant general in its 154-year history.

Gov. Steve Sisloak announced Berry’s appointment on Monday.

He says Berry's exemplary military experience combined with his background in senior leadership roles in law enforcement and business gives him an invaluable perspective on the qualities and skills necessary for the job.

Berry served 25 years as a Reno police officer. He retired as assistant chief in 2005 and became senior vice president for diversity and inclusion at MGM Resorts. He’s been the Nevada Air Guard’s assistant adjutant general since 2015.

Berry says he’s honored and humbled to be selected to replace retiring Brig. Gen. William Burks effective Sept. 1.

Glendon Oakley: Army soldier hailed as hero in El Paso shooting

An off-duty Army serviceman is being celebrated as a hero after he saved the lives of several children during Saturday’s deadly mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, but the soldier says he doesn't want the world to focus on him.

"What I did was exactly what I was supposed to do. I understand it was heroic and I'm looked at as a hero for it, but that wasn't the reason for me," U.S. Army soldier Glendon Oakley said Sunday, before breaking down in tears. "I'm just focused on the kids that I could not [save] and the families. It hurts me. I feel like they were a part of me. I don't even know the people that died or the kids that I took with me."

Hear more from this American hero below.

Congressional Black Caucus wants posthumous Medal of Honor for African American soldier

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is pushing for an African American soldier to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day.

The CBC, along with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), sent a letter to acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy Wednesday asking him to open a formal review of Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., an Army medic assigned to the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. They said he continued to work to save lives for 30 hours on Omaha Beach after he was wounded.

“Cpl. Woodson went above and beyond the call of duty by spending 30 grueling hours saving the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of his fellow soldiers,” the letter reads. “Cpl. Woodson was a war hero who has been inadequately recognized for his actions on D-Day.”

The letter’s signatories say he was not awarded for his bravery “because of the color of his skin.”

“We respectfully ask the Army to rectify this historic injustice and appropriately recognize this valorous Veteran with a posthumous recommendation for the Medal of Honor,” they wrote.

Read the letter below:

Woodson Letter Final Signed by Anonymous ROQg9Z on Scribd

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Tuskegee Airman gets diploma 80 years after high school

James Shipley, who was unable to finish high school but went on to serve as crew chief for the famed Tuskegee Airman has received an honorary diploma nearly 80 years after leaving high school.

During a speech, Shipley acknowledged he wasn't a good student during high school, but he was happy to receive a diploma.

Shipley said discrimination was more prevalent when he was younger. "People are beginning to realize that color doesn't matter. It's what's in the heart," he said to applause.

Military historian Jeremy Amick, who organized the event says Shipley didn't have a chance to earn his diploma years ago. He attended an all-black high school that wasn't credentialed through 12th grade. Shipley would have had to travel to Sedalia for his final year, and he didn't have the resources to do so.

The event took place at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1003 in St. Martins. Attendees included Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, retired Army Maj. Gen. Hank Stratman, and a representative to U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.

Tuskegee Airman Who Flew 142 WWII Combat Missions Dies at 99

World War II pilot Robert Friend, one of the last original members of the famed all-black Tuskegee Airmen, has died at the age of 99.

Friend’s daughter, Karen Friend Crumlich, told The Desert Sun her father died Friday at a Southern California hospital.

Born in South Carolina on 1920’s leap day, Friend flew 142 combat missions in World War II as part of the elite group of fighter pilots trained at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. The program was created after the NAACP began challenging policies barring black people from flying military aircraft.

Friend’s 28-year Air Force career included service in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He also worked on space launch vehicles and served as foreign technology program director before retiring as a lieutenant colonel and forming his own aerospace company.

[SOURCE: KTLA]

Cadet killed in West Point accident identified

The Army has identified the West Point cadet who was killed in a vehicle roll-over accident Thursday.

Cadet Christopher J. Morgan, a member of the Class of 2020, died from his injuries after a vehicle rolled over on its way to field exercises at the U.S. Military Academy’s training area.

Morgan died at the scene of the accident. Two soldiers and 19 other cadets were also injured in the rollover of the M1085 medium tactical vehicle long wheelbase cargo truck.

“Cadet Morgan was a valued member of the Corps of Cadets and will be missed by all. The entire community is ensuring that our cadets are being cared for physically, emotionally, and spiritually,” Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, West Point superintendent, said in a press release Friday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Morgan family.”

Morgan, 22, was from West Orange, New Jersey. He was majoring in Law and Legal Studies, and he was a recruited athlete who was on the Army Wrestling Team.

“We are devastated by the news of Chris’ passing. He was a talented, hardworking, and determined athlete who loved his sport,” Army West Point Wrestling Coach Kevin Ward said in the release.

“Chris had an infectious personality with a smile big enough to fill any room, and a heart big enough to love everyone around him. He made everyone around him better and he will be greatly missed," Ward added.

The Corps of Cadets will hold a vigil to honor Morgan on Friday evening, officials said.

A memorial ceremony for the West Point community and private funeral service will be held at the academy next week.

[USARMY TIMES]

He Served With D-Day’s Only African-American Combat Unit. His Widow Is Still Fighting for His Medal of Honor

Seventy-five years after American troops landed in smoke, fire and chaos on the beaches of Normandy, France, a Maryland woman is fighting for recognition for her late husband, who is likely D-Day’s last unsung hero.

Corporal Waverly “Woody” Woodson Jr., was a 21-year-old medic from West Philadelphia when he splashed down in four feet of churning sea and waded toward Omaha Beach around 9 a.m. on the morning of June 6, 1944.

Woodson was wounded, hit by burning shrapnel that raked his landing craft and ripped open his buttocks and thigh. The soldier next to him was killed. A medic slapped dressings on Woodson’s wounds, and they, along with three other medics in their crew, crept up the beach while crouched behind a tank. They were the first African-Americans to set their boots on Omaha Beach.

For the next 30 hours, Woodson would survive German snipers and his own searing pain to save scores of lives. Decades later, Woodson would learn that he had been nominated for the Medal of Honor.

But he would not receive it, not even when President Bill Clinton belatedly awarded the nation’s highest award for valor in 1997 to seven black soldiers who’d been denied their D-Day decorations by an Army afflicted by institutional racism. “History has been made whole today,” Clinton said.

Woodson’s white marble gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery is inscribed with his final Army rank — staff sergeant — and his decorations, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, the fourth-highest award for bravery.

Waverly Woodson died in 2005 but his widow, Joann Woodson, who turned 90 on May 26, has made it her mission to see that her husband’s heroism is acknowledged. “I will fight for him as long as I live,” Woodson said from her home in Clarksburg, outside Washington, D.C.

Read more: He Served With D-Day’s Only African-American Combat Unit. His Widow Is Still Fighting for His Medal of Honor

West Point graduates 34 African-American women, the most ever from one class

Thirty-four black women are expected to graduate from West Point next week.

That will be the largest class of African-American women to graduate together in the military academy's lengthy history, West Point spokesman Frank Demaro said.

"Last year's graduating class had 27," said Demaro. "And the expectation is next year's class will be even larger than this year's."

West Point's graduating class is seeing diversity in other minority groups. "Also, this year's class will have the highest number of female Hispanic graduates along with graduating our 5,000th female cadet since the first class of women to graduate in 1980," said Demaro.

Cadet Tiffany Welch-Baker, spoke to the website "Because Of Them We Can," about her feelings about being a part of this historic graduating class.

"My hope when young black girls see these photos is that they understand that regardless of what life presents you, you have the ability and fortitude to be a force to be reckoned with."

West Point created its office of diversity in 2014 to try to attract, retain and promote a "more diverse workforce" according to its website.

About 10% of undergraduate students are black and women make up about 20% of cadets, according to the school's statistics.

[SOURCE: CNN]

African-American veterans monument in Buffalo will be first in U.S.

Buffalo is expected to receive national attention soon, for the construction of a monument that will be the first of its kind in the country.

Karen Stanley Fleming, the board chair of the Michigan Street African American Corridor, says that this monument will be "an incredible addition to Buffalo's interpretation of African-American history."

State officials announced this morning at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park that the state will provide $800,000 toward the construction of the African-American veterans monument there. The monument will be the first and only in the U.S., to honor black soldiers that fought in every American war to date.

New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, who announced the grant along with state Sen. Chris Jacobs, R-Buffalo, said organizers hope to raise $1 million more by Veterans Day toward the construction of the 12-pillar structure.

"The purpose here is just to honor veterans," Peoples-Stokes said.

The monument will be an interactive, timeline walk of every American conflict in which black soldiers fought, between the Revolutionary War and the War in Afghanistan. Visitors will be able to observe the 12 10-foot tall and 3-feet wide pillars that represent each conflict, along with educational kiosks that will detail African-American involvement in each war.

Historian Madeline Scott said that the idea for creating the monument started when she and the Erie County Chapter of The Links Inc. began collecting names of deceased and living African-American veterans in 2016.

"The purpose [of the monument] is to recognize the hardships [black people] went through from the beginning," said Scott, "because history doesn't tell you about that until 1863."

The project has an anticipated budget of $1.4 million, which includes upkeep and management costs, according to monument committee chairman Warren Galloway. The committee hopes to implement technology within the monument that will work through a smartphone app, to allow visitors to explore the monument all while having the information at their fingertips. To raise additional money, the committee is selling commemorative bricks that will be laid on the ground surface of the monument.

"With these bricks," said Galloway, "you can walk and see the impact African-Americans have had in this whole area."

Galloway says that the Buffalo monument committee has been working with Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, and a host of U.S. senators to get the future monument nationally recognized. He says that although the monument is meant to honor veterans, it can be used as a teaching tool, which he believes will increase the chances of it becoming a national landmark.

"We're honoring our veterans but this is also educational," said Galloway, "so we want to attract educational money."

Organizers announced they expect to break ground on Veterans Day and have the ribbon-cutting some time around the Fourth of July in 2019.

The unveiling of the monument is expected to gain national attention and serve as what Fleming says is "a good starting place to learn about African-American history."

[SOURCE: THE BUFFALO NEWS]