On May 29, 1930, the U.S. Department of War — which had invited the families of veterans killed during World War I to visit their graves in Europe — denied a petition by Black mothers and spouses to travel on the same ship as white families and instead forced them to travel on segregated boats. [Read more…] about The Segregated Black Gold Star Women First World War Pilgrimage
Harlem Hellfighters
Josephine Baker and Illustrator Paul Colin
A century ago this year, Josephine Baker traveled on a one way ticket from Philadelphia to New York City, having left her recently-wed husband behind.
Born an illegitimate child in a St Louis ghetto on June 3, 1906, Freda Josephine McDonald had a dismal childhood of poverty living in an area of rooming houses, run-down apartments and brothels near Union Station. The city was beset by racial tension and violence. [Read more…] about Josephine Baker and Illustrator Paul Colin
Army Base Being Renamed for Albany’s Henry Johnson
Sergeant Henry Johnson, an African-American hero of the First World War from Albany, NY, will officially have Fort Polk in Louisiana renamed in his honor this June. The move comes after Congress authorized the Naming Commission to provide new names for U.S. military bases and other Department of Defense installations originally named after Confederate leaders and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) advocated for the change. [Read more…] about Army Base Being Renamed for Albany’s Henry Johnson
Harlem Hellfighters: Bigotry, Bravery and Jazz (Virtual Talk)
A century ago the predominately African American U.S. Army 369th Infantry Regiment, fought two wars. Because of the segregation of the U.S. Armed Forces in the First World War, the 369th fought in France, not with our American troops, but with the French army. At least forty men from Sea Cliff, Locust Valley, Oyster Bay, and Glen Cove on Long island served in that unit in the First World War.
Dubbed by the Germans the “Harlem Hellfighters” because of their courage and tenacity in battle, the men of the 369th distinguished themselves on the battlefield. However, when they returned home, they again confronted a battleground in the quest for equal rights. [Read more…] about Harlem Hellfighters: Bigotry, Bravery and Jazz (Virtual Talk)
Harlem & The Hellfighter Band That Set France Jazz Mad
When Paris first heard American jazz, it is – from our perspective – impossible to make sense of the cultural thunderbolt that must have hit audiences. This music was so wholly different to European ears that it was either scornfully rejected or eagerly accepted. [Read more…] about Harlem & The Hellfighter Band That Set France Jazz Mad
New Graphic Novel Features Harlem Hellfighter Henry Johnson
A new full-color digital graphic novel by the Association of the United States Army Book Program, Medal of Honor: Henry Johnson, recognizes the remarkable acts of Henry Johnson of Albany during the First World War.
[Read more…] about New Graphic Novel Features Harlem Hellfighter Henry Johnson
Camp Upton Featured On Long Island History Project
The latest episode of The Long Island History Project heads to Camp Upton. Suzanne Johnson and David Clemens discuss the history of this vast military training camp in Brookhaven that served the US Army in World War I and II.
We focus on their new book on the camp from Arcadia Press that features images from 1917-18 and beyond. Many of the images are drawn from the Longwood Public Library where both Suzanne and David were directors.
You’ll hear about the 77th Division, the Harlem Hellfighters, Irving Berlin, and the amazing feat of raising an army to fight The War to End All Wars. [Read more…] about Camp Upton Featured On Long Island History Project
Longwood: Long Island History Project Podcast
Longwood on Long Island is a school district, a public library, and fertile ground for stories. The Long Island History Project captured some of those stories during a conversation with Longwood Local History Librarian Melanie Cardone-Leathers.
Among the topics covered were Civil War tragedies, Revolutionary War triumphs, Nazis, Harlem Hellfighters, wrong-way aviators, runaway monkeys, and Irving Berlin.
Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Longwood: Long Island History Project Podcast