According to a proclamation signed by Mayor Byron Brown, the City of Buffalo designated November 7 Black Veterans Day in honor of Veterans Day.
To honor black veterans, a gathering was held in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, the country’s largest naval park. In preparation for the ceremony, guests scrubbed and cleaned military-style dog tags honoring both living and deceased black warriors. The volunteers also cleaned the towers at the African American Veterans Monument.
Dewitt Lee, co-founder of Black Veterans Day, told 2 On Your Side, “Today is a special day in a special place. It’s just a small gesture of saying we appreciate you and we thank you for all that you’ve done.”
The British promised free slaves who joined the British army during the American Revolution on November 7, 1775. Soon later, Americans were forced to allow free and enslaved blacks to serve in the Revolutionary Army.
“That, of course, forced America to recognize that they needed supplement forces as well. And that ultimately led to us being armed to be able to fight for America as well,” Lee said to WKBW.
This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the executive order to desegregate the U.S. military. “Every ethnicity that sacrificed and served for this country and that went through all of the obstacles just to fight for a country at many times didn’t fight for them. So, we think that story cannot be forgotten and it must be celebrated,” Lee said to 2 On Your Side.
According to NBC News, the African American Veterans Monument was inaugurated last year in Buffalo, New York, to celebrate black veterans and active-duty military service members who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—both past and present.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by military members, veterans, city and state politicians, including New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes.
Buffalo’s Black Veterans Day was not only the city’s inaugural celebration of Black veterans, but also the first in the United States.