The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park invites the public to a free presentation that promises to be both educational and inspirational. Plan to attend on Wednesday, February 8, at 6:30 pm.
African Americans have served in the U.S. armed forces from the beginning of our country’s history. For most of that time, these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines also struggled against the daunting obstacles of slavery, prejudice, discrimination and misunderstanding. In this special program, “The Untold Story: African Americans in the U.S. Military,” noted military historian Michael Lee Lanning will use excerpts from Frank Martin’s film, “For Love of Liberty,” and his own expertise to reveal a powerful story of service and sacrifice.
Lanning, a U.S. Army veteran and author of The African-American Soldier: From Crispus Attucks to Colin Powell, will be joined by local African American veterans Eugene Scott and Charles Harrison. Scott and Harrison will share their own stories of service in the U.S. Army and answer questions from the audience.
The program will conclude with a brief presentation about the evening’s sponsoring organization, The HistoryMakers, which through its MilitaryMakers program is seeking to correct the missing legacy of African Americans in the U.S. military by filming 200 oral history interviews with African American veterans and current servicemen and women. The information is then made available to the public via the HistoryMakers digital archive and through engaging public programs with the First Division Museum and other military museums.
An informal reception will follow the program. Doors open on Feb. 8 at 5:45 pm.
The event is free, including parking, but pre-registration is requested by Feb. 1. To reserve your place, please contact Jessica Levy at 312.674.1900 or jl@thehistorymakers.com.
For more information, including speaker bios, please visit FirstDivisionMuseum.org.
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