In the Armed Forces

As the Allies Forces pushed into German controlled areas, they encountered and liberated survivors in concentration camps. The Buffalo Soldiers not only liberated concentration camps but connected with the sentiments of the survivors as they shared in the experience of being persecuted and segregated by the state. This connection built on shared experiences culminated in the fight against injustice abroad and at home.

Washington, DC has a rich history of African American militia membership. Beginning in 1867 and continuing through Reconstruction and beyond, these militias played an important role in the local community. The legacy of DC's Black militias was carried on by the 1st Separate Battalion, the sole African American regiment in the DC National Guard at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War (1898).

The national capital area’s everyday people contributed to the overall success of the modern Civil Rights Movement. From students to pastors, lawyers to teachers, parents and every-day people planned efforts between the 1950s to the 1960s to eliminate segregation and the discrimination.

Elmer P. Gibson was a high-ranking African American Army Chaplain who served in World War II and the Korean War. He was an advocate for desegregating the military, and practiced desegregation as a chaplain, by holding integrated church services in the Aleutian Islands and other places. Later in life he served as an advisor to President Harry S. Truman and was a college president.

This lesson explores the story of Col Charles Young and what motivated African Americans to volunteer for a segregated military during WWI.

This article explores Colonel Young's freedom ride from Ohio to Washington, DC. It include a reading and activities intended for middle school learners, but can easily be adapted for use by learners of all ages.

After years of fighting at home and abroad for a country that held mixed feelings for them, many expected the Buffalo Soldiers to be deployed to France in 1917 to help fight in WWI. However, the regular Army regiments of the Buffalo Soldiers would be found nowhere near France during WWI. Find out about the "other" Buffalo Soldiers who would take their place with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Some would even train at Ohio's WWI Soldier Factory, Camp Sherman.