Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

If you don’t reflect, you can’t respect Part I- The imprints of African Americans are found in the histories throughout the world. In the film “Black History Parts I, II, and III” authentic incidents have been recreated as well as official war departments films, news reels, U.N. sources and captured enemy material. It begins with the title “The War Department presents the Negro Soldier.” The film is very informative and instills a great deal of pride. All who see it will be so impressed that many inspiring conversations will scream forth from the well of truth in the soul of America. I found this film at the Carver McDonald Library Branch location and considered it a must see. In fact, it should be a course integrated into all school curriculums as it provides much needed demonstrations of enlightenment regarding patriotism in the military from colored to Negro to Blacks and African Americans, racism notwithstanding. It highlights the valor of soldiers like Crispus Attucks, the first to die in the Boston Massacre and others who served at Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, World War II, and the list continues. We will learn why African-American people should expect outcry from the world in how we are mistreated because as the film states, “blacks and white together pioneered and built territories such that by 1812 a wilderness was becoming a great nation. Black soldiers helped through all wars here and abroad to build cities, factories, airports, landing fields, docks, bridges, roads, etc. They built through the swamps of the south pacific, over mountains of India, across rivers of Europe, through Rocky Mountains of the far north where they built the AlCan Hwy. that connects Alaska, Canada, and the United States. (I had the privilege of driving those 700 miles of AlCan in 1977.What an experience!) There are many tributes made to black soldiers in the film. One of which was how France decorated the first American troops the 369th black regiment for actions above and beyond the call of duty. They erected a memorial that read “This stone and the ground on which it stands are dedicated to the Negro troops who fought & died here on April 21, 1918. I end this article with a quote from the film. African Americans fought, bled, died to free people around the world. Their performance on the battlefield would change the armed forces forever and their bravery would pave the way for the modern civil rights movements that would emerge after the war. This quote is extremely important to dispel the myth that the civil rights movement mainly began in the 1960’s. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!! Part II next week This film can be found in the Carver Branch Library (By the way, you may see a loved one on the news reel.)