Last month, the African American Veterans Monument was unveiled in Buffalo, New York.
The unveiling, which took place on Sept. 24 at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park., had a significant meaning.
The monument has been said to be the first of its kind, honoring the contributions of African American service members from all 12 U.S. wars, whether they enlisted or were drafted.
Jonathan Casey, a local concrete artist, designed the monument.
Visitors at the monument have the chance to walk along paved in bricks, which have the names engraved of current and former service members as they view 12 black pillars resembling giant candles.
The 10-foot pillars are positioned in accordance of the latitude and longitude coordinates of where each war took place.
The lights on top of the pillars replicate the candles that burned in families’ windows during the Civil War to guide soldiers home, according to Robin E. Hodges, a U.S. Navy veteran and the vice-chairwoman of the monument’s board of directors.
There are other museums and memorials that honor African American soldiers such as the African American Civil War Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., the African American Military History Museum in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the African-American Medal of Honor Recipients Memorial in Wilmington, Delaware.
But this one is a bit different.
The Buffalo monument is the only one dedicated to both living and deceased veterans from all branches of the U.S. military, according to Hodges.
Related
She also said the monument has interactive exhibits that tell stories of the veterans, which provide context about the discrimination they experienced over the centuries.
According to the monument’s website, it is hoped that the memorial will restore meaning and understanding of the indispensable military service of American Americans, which has been omitted from U.S. mainstream narratives and has consequently fallen into obscurity.
The idea for the monument began six years ago after a small group of Buffalo residents told the New York Assembly Majority Leader, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, that they wanted to have some land build a park to honor African American service members.
People-Stokes got the land donated from the city and began a committee for the memorial.
The project cost $1.8 million and was built with state funds, business donations along with charitable donations.
She said the project was personal for her since her father and grandfather were enlisted and the story of Black people in the U.S. military has not fully been told.
For $250, anyone can purchase a brick for a current or former African American U.S. military member. Around 600 bricks have been installed so far, leaving 6,000 more available.
For more information, email info@aavmwny.org.
Related
Related
