"This will give you an idea of how the men dress over here. Notice his short pants? They're made of leather." ~Lorraine Hurdle, Photo with an elderly man in Germany, ca. 1950s Lorraine Hurdle was a Black lesbian woman who served as a…

"And let me give you a little thing and point out, many of our fellas came from the South, they were brought up to be well, sort of shuffling when they walked, maybe mumbling when they talked, soft spoken and everything, very deferential and things…

“I was not naive regarding segregation and discrimination but going into a completely segregated situation was constantly a shock to me.I think I stayed angry most of my army career, even though the whole experience was interesting, maddening,…

“I took an oath to protect this country and I’m doing my best to live up to the values of the Army. It’s been frustrating and heartbreaking not to obtain my citizenship as promised, but I will continue to honor my commitment. It’s what I would expect…

" You give them what they need to get the job done, building confidence and trust with them, and they with you. And that creates perpetual optimism – it's a force multiplier, meaning it makes your force more powerful than the design of the…

"You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea." ~Medgar Evers or Myrlie Evers, widow of Medgar Evers, 1963 Born into a working-class Black family in Decatur, Mississippi, Medgar Evers attended segregated schools and witnessed a…

"Tout le sang qui coule rouge."~Eugene Bullard's pilot's motto, meaning "All Blood is Red," 1914-1917 Eugene Bullard was born in Columbus, Georgia, on October 9, 1895. His parents, William and Josephine, had formerly been enslaved. At the age of 11,…

"Lying in woods all day. Nothing new. Turned out at Midnight an attack being made. Moved out but were not called upon. Weather fine and warm."~Diary entry, Wednesday, June 22, 1864 Sergeant Major Christian A. Fleetwood of the U.S. Colored Infantry…