A new monument celebrating the service of African American veterans opened in September 2022 at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo, New York. The comprehensive monument, called The African American Veterans Monument (AAVM) is the first monument to honor the sacrifices of Black veterans in the U.S. Completed in April after six years of planning, the opening of the AAVM coincided with the unveiling of the exhibit, “Two Wars: The Road to Integration,” at the same park. The latter exhibit examines desegregation of the U.S. military after World War II when President Harry Truman signed an executive order mandating the end to racial discrimination in the armed forces.
The AAVM features 12 pillars that light up at night, each representing a U.S. war Black soldiers have fought in, from the American Revolution to the 21st century. Every pillar is inscribed with names of African Americans who have served the U.S. in combat. The lights signify the common ritual of military families from across history who placed candles at their windows to usher their loved ones home from war. Warren K. Galloway, Chairman of the AAVM Committee, told media outlets the site could serve as an opportunity to learn about the service of Black veterans, as well as the adversity they faced in protecting the U.S. “African Americans have been involved in every conflict that this country has been in, from the Revolutionary War to where we are now,” Galloway told the Buffalo News. “Often African American soldiers were fighting two wars, the war against the enemy abroad and the war against racism and discrimination at home,” Galloway continued.
Despite being legally barred from serving alongside white soldiers at war, Black people have served in every U.S. war since before the country’s founding. Both enslaved Black Americans and free people fought in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The First Rhode Island Regiment, for example, became the first Black battalion in U.S. history and played a critical role in important battles like the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Rhode Island. In the Civil War, approximately 180,000 Black soldiers served in the Union Army. Three quarters of a century later, World War II also inspired valor from African American service members, with the Tuskegee Airmen becoming the first African American flying squadron to participate in combat.
Indeed, throughout history Black soldiers have used their platforms to elevate the importance of ending discrimination across U.S. institutions and society, and WWII is just one example. During that time, Black service members utilized The Pittsburgh Gazette, a prominent Black newspaper, to launch what was known as the Double V Campaign campaign calling on Americans to support two victories, or ‘Vs’ – one against racism abroad, and one against racism at home. Often overlooked in American history, Black service members have been consistent and reliable contributors to securing and protecting the freedom for people in the U.S. for nearly 250 years now.
Smith’s Dedication to Preserving the Black Experience
Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, is a proud supporter of uplifting the history, culture and contributions of Black Americans. Smith is the founding director and President of Fund II Foundation, an organization that aims to “preserve the African-American experience; safeguard human rights; provide music education; preserve the environment while promoting the benefits of the outdoors; and sustain critical American values such as entrepreneurialism.” Through Fund II Foundation, Smith has participated in similar history-preserving programming to the AAVM. For example, Smith donated Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth home to the National Parks Foundation in an effort to preserve Black history at national parks.
Discussing the decision to preserve MLK’s home for the National Parks, Smith told Will Shafroth, CEO of the National Parks Foundation that he was inspired by his family’s advocacy for civil rights in his younger years. “My mother took me to the March on Washington when I was six months old, and while I may not remember attending, the lessons of Dr. King were ever-present within our home and community throughout my childhood,” Smith said. “As a father, these lessons have been something I have passed down to my own children… Through Fund II Foundation we were also able to enact emergency repairs to the family home and digitization of family home assets and oral histories critical for research and future digital storytelling.”
Learn more about Smith’s advocacy for preserving the Black experience.
