Black History Month celebrates American achievement

By Ms. Marie Berberea (TRADOC)February 26, 2015

Future Lens
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – As part of Kimberly Jones' "Future Lens 2015" project, local high school students were shown looking into mirrors as examples of African American professionals in the local community. Pictured above is a student with Brian Lindsay, Fires Center of Ex... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Who am I?
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Drill Sergeant (Staff Sgt.) Latrice Brenson, 434th Field Artillery Brigade, asks the Patriot Club attendees, "Who am I?" after reciting facts about Marian Edelman, a black woman lawyer in Mississipi at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Other f... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Buffalo Soldiers
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Shared history
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. -- Fort Sill celebrated the lives and achievements of African Americans at the Fort Sill Black History Month luncheon Feb. 19.

Hosted by the 434th Field Artillery Brigade at the Patriot Club, the luncheon's theme was "A Century of Black Life, History and Culture."

"This year's theme marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements of black Americans and other people of African descent, called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History," said Maj. Francisco Vazquez, 95th Adjutant General (Reception) Batta-lion executive officer.

Pictures along the walls of the Patriot Club depicted local professionals who represent the ties to African American achievement. Members of a local high school fraternity called "KUDOS" were shown with leaders such as Command Sgts. Maj. Brian Lindsey, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill CSM; and Thomas Oates, Reynolds Army Community Hospital CSM, and retired Col. Albert Johnson Jr., Cameron University vice president for university advancement, as people they could aspire to be like.

The guest speaker of the luncheon is also a local leader.

"I'm proud to say that I am/was an African American Soldier. I supported and defended the Constitution and the commander's strategic goals for our great nation," said retired Brig. Gen. Jesse Cross.

Cross retired after 32 years of service and was the 50th quartermaster general and commandant of the Quartermaster School at Fort Lee, Va. He is now the Red River Science & Technology president and CEO.

He spoke of how African Americans struggled throughout the history of this country. During that struggle many endured and created tools all Americans could use.

"The Great Depression sparked an economic crisis that placed our nation at risk. This vulnerability affected virtually every group of Americans. However, there was no other group more affected than the African American. By 1932, approximately half of the African American population was out of work and could not find a job. In some of the northern cities people called for African Americans to be fired, and all the jobs that were available, they wanted them to go to white Americans. They were out of work, also. Racial violence was more common, especially in the South, yet there was hope.

"African American inventor Elijah McCoy invented an oil-dripping cup for trains. Many people tried to reverse-engineer McCoy's device, but their product always failed. So the customer kept going back to ask for 'the real McCoy.'"

"Jared Morgan invented the gas mask and the light signal. Those inventions alone saved countless American lives.

He went on to talk about a second migration that took place between 1941 and 1971. About 6 million more African Americans moved from the South to the North, the East and the West.

The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) mounted continuous legal challenges toward segregation and the removal of social barriers for all minorities.

"In 1941 the first African American pilot program was established, and from 1942 till about 1946 nearly 1,000 Tuskegee airmen graduated with over 450 of those pilots serving in World War II.

"As the U.S. entered World War II, labor leaders threatened to protest the discrimination that was going on in the military and other defense-related industries, which forced President Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 802, stating that all people regardless of race, creed, color or national origin would be allowed to participate fully in the defense of the United States. This executive order sparked a new era, a new idea, a new beginning for America, resulting in over 125,000 African American men fighting overseas in World War II," said Cross.

The luncheon featured a video of Lawton-Fort Sill citizens sharing what Black History Month means to them.

Col. Jose Thompson, 434th Field Artillery Brigade commander, gave his perspective.

"What we're really celebrating today is American history. What we're doing today is celebrating contributions made by Americans over the past hundred years that have benefited us as a nation. It's benefited our society, our community, regardless of what the color of our skin is, what our ethnic background is, what our religion or nationality is."

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More photos from luncheon