Wheelock College's Dr. Shirley Malone-Fenner Celebrates African American Military Heritage with Keynote Address

On Saturday, May 16th, Wheelock College’s Dr. Shirley Malone-Fenner, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, delivered the keynote address to an audience of over 40 people, including veterans, at the 12th Annual African American Military Heritage Celebration. The parade and program is held each year at the Edward O. Gourdin Veteran Memorial Park in Roxbury, in honor of General Edward O. Gourdin, who served as Brigadier General, United States National Guard. Among the people in attendance was the grand-nephew of the famed judge, general, and athlete for whom the park is named. This year the parade was at the park and the program was held at the Dudley Square Library in Roxbury because of rain.

Dr. Malone-Fenner is a veteran and leads Wheelock’s collaborative efforts with the Military Child Education Coalition® (MCEC), the Department of Defense, and the Massachusetts National Guard. She directs Wheelock’s Center of Excellence for Military Children and Families.

Aligning with the theme of the celebration “Why Veterans Serve,” Dr. Malone-Fenner interviewed 20 service members on why they serve. The responses included: “To feel needed, to share a skill, to get to know a community, to demonstrate commitment to a cause/belief, to gain leadership skills, to do my civic duty, satisfaction from accomplishment, to have an impact on our country and more. All of them said, I serve for the honor, the sacrifice and valor for my country.”

In her speech, Dr. Malone-Fenner shared how “African-Americans fought for the United States throughout its history, defending and serving a country that in turn denied so many basic rights as citizens. There has been no war fought by or within the United States in which African Americans did not participate.”

Dr. Malone-Fenner was honored to speak at the event that was “…a marvelous vehicle for connecting our shared past, our present, and our future. We honor our past by saluting the accomplishments and contributions of these unsung black veterans…And, we envision how we can change the future for our youth by letting them know about the many contributions and accomplishments of these talented black veterans.”

The Wheelock Center of Excellence for Military Children and Families was established by Wheelock College in collaboration with the Massachusetts National Guard and the Military Child Education Coalition® to draw attention to the many services available to aid military children and families, maximizing the visibility of military support systems and offering the resources of the Wheelock community to military families. For more information on the Center, visit www.wheelock.edu/military