February 2026 Newsletter

In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, an African American History Scholar, author, journalist, and one of the first scholars to study the history of the Black African diaspora, dedicated a week in February to the recognition, celebration and remembrance “Negro History Week”, the foundation of Black History Month. 

“It is not so much Negro History Week as it is a History Week. We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in History. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hatred and religious prejudice.” Woodson wrote. 

Woodson’s Negro History Week became a federal observance fifty years later during the U.S bicentennial. President Gerald Ford encouraged the country to “Seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every arear of endeavor throughout our history.” 

This February, let’s honor and celebrate the accomplishments of Black servicemembers that have been part of our nation’s military history. 

First Black Medal of Honor

William Carney enlisted in the first Black Unit recruited for the Union Army. He served along with 40 other Black service members during the Civil War. Carney nearly lost his life in an effort to ensure that the American flag did not touch the ground. In 1900, his courageous actions were honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

Harlem Hellfighters

The Harlem Hellfighters became the First Black combat unit to serve overseas during the First World War. The unit were assigned to the French Army because the U.S did not offer combat roles to African Americans. 191 The number of days the Harlem Hellfighters went without getting captured or ceding any ground while serving in the trenches. Their courage earned them the Croix de Guerre, a prestigious French military decoration to honor acts of bravery in combat. 

First African American Army Nurse Corps

Maj. Della Raney was the first African American accepted to the Army Nurse Corps and became a trailblazer in the Army with each promotion. Maj. Raney was the first African American commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, and the first African American nurse with the Army Air Corps promoted to captain. 

Tuskegee Airmen 

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans military pilots who fought in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen redefined the future of the U.S Air Force shattering racial barriers and demonstration their remarkable skills, talents and patriotism. 

First Black Recipient of the Navy Cross

Doris Miller, a U.S Navy sailor, was recognized for his bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor. On that fateful day of December 7, 1941, Doris Miller was on the USS West Virgina. During the battle he went above and beyond the call of duty by carrying wounded sailors to safety and then went on to man an anticraft gun with no previous training on the weapon. Doris continued firing until he ran out of ammunition. After receiving the order to abandon ship, he continued to assist in evacuating the wounder sailors. In January of 2020, the Navy announced the USS Doris Miller as the name of the U.S Navy’s newest CVN-designated aircraft carrier. 

First Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 

Colin Powell was appointed as the Chairman of the joint Chiefs of Staff by President George W. Bush in 1989, making Colin Powell not just the highest-ranking military position in the Department of Defense but also the youngest person to do so. 

The legacy of these brave men and women is a strong reminder of service and heroism even in the face of prejudice and hardship, and the “fight for freedom is freedom for all.”