Dayhoff Soundtrack: Diversity

Showing posts with label Diversity. Show all posts

Monday, March 21, 2016

Mon. March 21, 2016 the 24th annual Carroll Co Human Relations Commission awards dinner to honor Warren Dorsey.

Mon. March 21, 2016 Spent the evening with good friends at the 24th annual Carroll County Human Relations Commission awards dinner to honor the amazing life and work of Warren Dorsey.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Name on elementary school is also Carroll's connection to 1927 flood By Kevin E. Dayhoff

Name on elementary school is also Carroll's connection to 1927 flood

By Kevin E. Dayhoff

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-archives-flood-1025-20151021-story.html

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2015/10/name-on-elementary-school-is-also.html

Carroll Co Schools, Dayhoff Media Explore Carroll, Diversity, Diversity African-American, History 1920s, People Moton Robert

The humanitarian disaster that followed the 1927 Great Mississippi Flood propelled Robert Russa Moton, the president of a small college, into the national spotlight. This same prominent political leader also helped Franklin Roosevelt's Democratic Party win the 1932 presidential election.

Despite a dire weather forecast earlier this month, we dodged a weather bullet when Hurricane Joaquin stayed out to sea.

[…]

In a rehearsal for the upcoming dramas that will take place in Maryland this winter when snow is predicted; events were cancelled, emergencies declared, mothers gathered their children, and folks took to the streets to forage for materials to make bad weather omelets – milk, bread, eggs, extra batteries and toilet paper.

In the end, the weather did turn ugly, but not from the hurricane or a visit from Hell’s Nebulae, but rather from a strong nor'easter that pelted much of Maryland with high winds, heavy rains and the threat of flooding.

As winter approaches Nor'easter often cause many to think of heavy snowstorms. But during the height of the media frenzy over Joaquin, several media outlets raised the memories of when the August 1933 storm cut the inlet just below Ocean City. Sun writer, Chris Guy explained it well in an August 23, 2003 account, “On the morning of Aug. 23, Ocean City residents awoke to discover that the record tide and rainfall that flooded coastal bays had combined with the storm's winds to cut a 50-foot gash through the island's lowest point, severing the resort from Assateague Island…”

Shortly after we dodged the Zombie apocalypse weather event, one reader in the grocery store checkout line still had that wide-eyed look like she was about to be abducted by space aliens as she asked if Carroll County has ever – could ever, have flooding like what South Carolina recently experienced. “That couldn’t possible ever happen here could it,” she asked breathlessly.

She was referring to the epic flooding that has just taken place in South Carolina that weather professionals and state Gov. Nikki Haley, are calling a ‘1,000-year flood’ terminology.

I answered calmly, “What do Carroll County, Led Zeppelin, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and one of the worst natural disasters in American history all have in common? In the end, we are all going to Chicago… ‘

[…]

South Carolina was not so lucky. The national news media has carried a number of stories about flooding there that was so bad that Gov. Nikki Haley said, "We are at a 1,000-year level of rain," according to CNN.

While perhaps not to those historic levels, throughout its history Carroll County has had its fair share of bad floods…

[…]

On Monday, July 30, 1923, a flood "swept down the valleys, flooding hundreds of homes … and causing great property damage," in southern Carroll Co. according to an Aug. 3, 1923 article in the Democratic Advocate newspaper.

Research for the Historical Society of Carroll Co. by historian Mary Ann Ashcraft indicates that another flood on July 24, 1868, destroyed much of Sykesville.

The devastating historic floods that followed Hurricane Agnes beginning on June 21, 1972 and Hurricane Eloise on Sept. 26, 1975 destroyed bridges, roads and homes through Carroll Co.

Designating a day to celebrate the nation's military power a source of conflict

However, it is another flood; one that took place in 1927, which had a profound socio-political effect on American history and has a Carroll connection, though it did not even take place in Carroll County…

Read much more here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-archives-flood-1025-20151021-story.html

WESTMINSTER

Name on elementary school is also Carroll's connection to 1927 flood

KEVIN E. DAYHOFF, KEVINDAYHOFF@GMAIL.COM

Despite a dire weather forecast earlier this month, we dodged a weather bullet when Hurricane Joaquin stayed out to sea. South Carolina was not so lucky. The national news media has carried a number of stories about flooding there that was so bad that Gov. Nikki Haley said, "We are at a 1,000-year...

CARROLL COUNTY

Westminster house fire brings heavy firefighter response

JON KELVEY

No injuries, $100K in damages in fire in Greens neighborhood; seven fire companies respond

WESTMINSTER

Living with the ramifications of the deadly Spanish flu of 1918

KEVIN. E. DAYHOFF, KEVINDAYHOFF@GMAIL.COM

It was Oct. 11, 1918, and the headline of the Democratic Advocate addressed the local impact of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918. The headline read, "The Grip Epidemic: Disease Spreading, But No Occasion for Panic," according to research for the Historical Society of Carroll County by historian...

WESTMINSTER

Deer Park Cemetery in Carroll County is hallowed ground for Marine Corps

KEVIN E. DAYHOFF, KEVINDAYHOFF@GMAIL.COM

On Oct. 4, 1891, the cornerstone was laid for a new chapel for the Deer Park United Methodist Church in Smallwood, just south of Westminster on Route 32. The origins of the church date back to 1846, according to a brief history found on the church's website. According to the website, "the people...

WESTMINSTER

Cruise on Liberty ship a reminder that freedom is not free [Eagle Archives]

KEVIN E. DAYHOFF, KEVINDAYHOFF@GMAIL.COM

Timed just about midway between two dates that have significant meaning for veterans in this country, approximately 20 veterans from Carroll County will board a ship of that has also has significant importance. On Oct. 3, the county residents will commemorate Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and Sept. 2,...

Baltimore Sun: http://www.baltimoresun.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Dayhoff&target=adv_article

Carroll County Times: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Kevin+Dayhoff&target=article

Westminster Patch: http://patch.com/users/kevin-e-dayhoff?page=1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO

Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/

Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson: “That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!” - See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Sunday, October 11, 2015

THE BLACK PANTHER COLLECTION ~ MALCOLM X

THE BLACK PANTHER COLLECTION ~ MALCOLM X:

"The members of the revolutionary Black Panther party were the descendants of Malcolm X and worked to put his philosophy into action. Founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the organization was founded to put an end to police brutality in black neighborhoods. This new collection is the most complete collection of Black Panther material ever assembled. Included are video, audio and text files by Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Fred Hampton, H. Rap Brown, Eldridge Cleaver and more."

http://malcolmxfiles.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-black-panther-collection-over-12.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCompleteMalcolmX+%28The+Complete+Malcolm+X%29

'via Blog this'

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Monday, June 22, 2015

August 20, 1967: Sargent Shriver said Unity is ‘built by all Americans’

June 22, 2015 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2015/06/august-20-1967-sargent-shriver-said.html

Labels: Diversity, Diversity African-American, People Shriver family, People Shriver-Sargent, Quotes, Words of wisdom

In a recent tweet – on June 22, 2015, Maria Shriver ‏@mariashriver, noted that her father, (Westminster, Carroll County, Md. native son) Sargent Shriver, said “My father said Unity is ‘built by all Americans.’ Sadly, words still relevant @RSargentShriver: http://eepurl.com/bq43Ir”

On August 20, 1967, Mr. Shriver said: “"We have a statue of liberty on the east coast given to us by a foreign community. But we need a statue of unity built by all Americans, for all Americans -- in every American community. Today, our nation is not united. This country is in trouble because too many Americans prefer not to know each other. Not to care about each other. […] Our country cannot go on like this."

This may be found on the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute website, http://www.sargentshriver.org/speech-article/address-to-the-negro-shriners-convention.

According to the website, “Sargent Shriver did not shy away from speaking about racism throughout his career. This address at the black Shriner convention in August of 1967, given in the middle of a long, tumultuous summer of rioting throughout the country, demonstrates his frankness and his concern on the topic of racial inequality…”

He said this in an “Address to the Negro Shriners Convention, CLEVELAND, OH.

He also said: “It is keeping America divided into ghettos--not the city slums, but ghettos of the mind where we seal off parts of democracy that don't suit us, where we box off our obligations to justice and shut out our commitments to fairness. These ghettos of the mind are more damaging to America than the ghettos of the city…”

Indeed, Sargent Shriver did not shy away from speaking about racism throughout his career. Read the entire speech here: http://sargentshriver.org/speech-article/address-to-the-negro-shriners-convention

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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Contracts Don’t Make a Family Any Less Natural by Martha Ertman

Contracts Don’t Make a Family Any Less Natural by Martha Ertman

http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/05/26/contracts_don_t_make_a_family_any_less_natural.html?wpsrc=slatest_newsletter&sid=5388f43add52b8e41100cd7e

Oscar Wilde famously quipped that the only thing worse than being talked about isnot being talked about. Paradoxically, much of the testimony in his 1895 trial for “gross indecency”—which was reported in papers throughout the world—concerned his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, the very person who coined the phrase“the love that dare not speak its name.”

A little more than a century later, that love is on everybody’s lips.

In the United States we’re waiting to see how the Supreme Court decides the marriage cases it’s reviewing, and Wilde’s home country just became the first in the world to extend marriage equality to same-sex couples by popular vote. Freakishly smart and always happy to grab the spotlight, Wilde would likely have been one of the many Irish expats who traveled home to vote “yes” on the marriage referendum and probably would have taken delight in eviscerating the arguments put forth by nay-sayers, like Michael Brendan Dougherty, who claim that same-sex marriage is “unnatural.” Wilde would be right. It’s clear that when defenders of what they call “traditional marriage” have to justify their position, none of their arguments stand up to scrutiny.

Marriage opponents’ first error is historic. Dougherty imagines a past where genetic parenthood determined legal and social parenthood. But that past does not exist. To the contrary, both law and society have long recognized that love comes in different packages. Some are more common—heterosexuality, marriage, parents raising kids conceived with the fun, free stuff lying around the house—but that hardly makes them “natural.”

Read much more here: http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/05/26/contracts_don_t_make_a_family_any_less_natural.html?wpsrc=slatest_newsletter&sid=5388f43add52b8e41100cd7e

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Monday, May 04, 2015

Don't Judge Blacks Differently by Chloe Valdary, a student at the University of New Orleans

Published on Apr 27, 2015

https://youtu.be/xl7Q36V9pg4

Does race trump truth? In a confrontation between police and perpetrators, what is more important? Facts or skin color? When protests morph into riots, do we excuse bad behavior based on race? If we do, how are we ever going to end racism? Chloe Valdary, a student at the University of New Orleans, confronts these critical questions and offers a compelling answer.

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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

South China Morning Post: Sydney siege sparks 'I’ll ride with you' campaign for worried Muslims

South China Morning Post: Sydney siege sparks 'I’ll ride with you' campaign for worried Muslims Tues. Dec. 16, 2014

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1663137/sydney-siege-sparks-ill-ride-you-campaign-worried-muslims

Hours after a self-styled sheikh and two of his hostages were killed in a gun battle in a Sydney cafe, inflaming anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia’s biggest city, a social media movement showing solidarity with Australian Muslims was gathering steam.

Inspired by the Twitter hashtag "I’ll ride with you", some commuters heading into the city for work on Tuesday gave their support to Muslims who might feel vulnerable amid concerns about a blowback after the hostage drama.

The hashtag was trending around the world, popping up across Asia, Europe, Africa and North America as it featured in more than 300,000 tweets. Actor Russell Crowe, who grew up in Sydney and keeps a home here, added his star power to the campaign.

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1663137/sydney-siege-sparks-ill-ride-you-campaign-worried-muslims

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Friday, November 28, 2014

NFL player Benjamin Watson's Ferguson post on Facebook goes viral

http://www.khq.com/story/27489010/nfl-player-benjamin-watsons-ferguson-post-on-facebook-goes-viral

Posted: Nov 26, 2014 12:42 PM EST Updated: Nov 26, 2014 12:42 PM EST

by Nichole Mischke, KHQ Right Now Reporter

KHQ.COM - Benjamin Watson who plays for the New Orleans Saints posted the following on his Facebook page and it has since gone viral:

"At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:

[….]

I'M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn.

BUT I'M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing what's truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It's the Gospel. So, finally, I'M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope."

Here is the link to his Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/oo9szxv

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Saturday, November 08, 2014

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.:) GOP won the Senate because of racist Southerners

Democratic Congressman: GOP won the Senate because of racist Southerners Posted on November 5, 2014 by Sam Rolley

http://personalliberty.com/democratic-congressman-gop-won-senate-racist-southerners/

According to Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), the GOP’s senatorial gains in the 2014 midterms have nothing to do with voter frustration at President Barack Obama or failed policies from his party. Republicans won, Rangel contends, because Americans are racist.

Last week, Rangel claimed that Southern Republicans still believe in slavery and think the Confederates won the Civil War. That, he said, is why voters in the South would reject progressive Democratic candidates.

According to the lawmaker, voter ID laws and other GOP causes relate directly to lingering Southern racism.

Rangel had said during a Democratic campaign rally in New York: “We have to win, and we’re going to be able to send a national message. … And the thing is, everything we believe in, everything we believe in they hate! They don’t disagree, they hate! ... http://personalliberty.com/democratic-congressman-gop-won-senate-racist-southerners/

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/11/rep-charlie-rangel-d-ny-gop-won-senate.html
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Thursday, November 06, 2014

Republican wave could get even bigger - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Republican wave could get even bigger - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"By Lesley Clark / McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON —

The Republican victory wave might end up even larger by the time all the votes are counted.

Already Wednesday, Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate with a minimum of 52 seats, added to their majority in the House and picked up governorships in deep-blue Democratic states such as Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts.

And with races in Alaska and Virginia still unsettled and a runoff in Louisiana in December — and all three of those seats now held by Democrats — Republicans could add to their new majority in the Senate.

“The Republican Party is back with youth, with diversity, with women, and we’ve got a long way to go,” said Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, the House Republican campaign chairman, who called the gains “historic” and a referendum on President Barack Obama. “We’re back to a majority as big as any of us have seen in our lifetime.”"

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2014/11/06/Republican-wave-could-get-even-bigger/stories/201411060223

'via Blog this'

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/11/republican-wave-could-get-even-bigger.html
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Monday, August 25, 2014

Greek restaurants part of Westminster history - baltimoresun.com

Greek restaurants part of Westminster history - baltimoresun.com:

"By Kevin E. Dayhoff, 7:19 a.m. EDT, August 21, 2014

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-eagle-archives-0824-20140821,0,757277.story

When Westminster was first laid out by William Winchester in 1764, it was located on one of the three main routes west in what we now know as Carroll County.

Today these routes are known as Route 30, Route 140, and Route 26.

Winchester formed Westminster at a point one day's travel between Reisterstown and Taneytown on one of these main routes used by settlers as they traveled west.

Its emphasis on public safety and the promotion of low taxes, good roads and a pro-business environment encouraged many travelers to stay in the Westminster and Carroll County area.

Not to be overlooked were the good hotels, inns, restaurants and provisioning stores that were quickly established in Westminster to meet the needs of the stream of folks using those routes

That tradition of good restaurants and stores remains in Carroll County and the Westminster area 250 years later..."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-eagle-archives-0824-20140821,0,757277.story

'via Blog this'

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

We are one #BiggerThanBasketball

April 29, 2014 1:45 p.m. Commissioner Adam Silver, after a swift investigation, has banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life for racist comments that came to light last weekend. #BiggerThanBasketball

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2014/04/29/20140429-silver-statement-on-sterling.nba

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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Doug Glanville racial profiling case: A Connecticut police officer assumed the ex-Phillie

Doug Glanville racial profiling case: A Connecticut police officer assumed the ex-Phillie:

By Ben Mathis-Lilley

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/04/14/doug_glanville_racial_profiling_case_a_connecticut_police_officer_assumed.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=18eb889868&mc_eid=b27361148d

"Author, UPenn alum, and former Major League Baseball player Doug Glanville writes in the Atlantic today about being approached by a police officer who suspected him of illegally soliciting work as an itinerant laborer—while he was shoveling his own driveway in a well-to-do part of Hartford, Conn. "

'via Blog this'

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/04/i-was-racially-profiled-in-my-own-driveway/360615/

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Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Stephen Colbert's #CancelColbert response: Comedian responds to backlash to Comedy Central tweet. (Video.)

Stephen Colbert's #CancelColbert response: Comedian responds to backlash to Comedy Central tweet. (Video.) By Josh Voorhees

The #CancelColbert push didn't pick up steam until last Thursday, after Stephen Colbert had taped his final show of the week. That means we had to wait for what seemed like forever for the comedian to respond. It was, of course, worth the wait—even if he does lump Slate in with the rest of the "system," something that at first blush I thought was a wee bit unfair to our nuanced and explanatory coverage of the whole thing. (That said, it was hilarious, so I'm happy to largely look the other way.)

Read - and see more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/04/01/stephen_colbert_s_cancelcolbert_response_comedian_responds_to_backlash_to.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=0dab8107ae&mc_eid=b27361148d

'via Blog this'

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Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO
The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=Dayhoff

Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
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Monday, November 11, 2013

African-Americans have fought for our freedoms since the founding of the Republic

African-Americans have fought for our freedoms

since the founding of the Republic

By Kevin E. Dayhoff, Sunday, November 10, 2013

This is a longer version of an article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun November 8, 2013 for Veterans Day “Black Americans have fought for Republic since its founding [Eagle Archive]” By Kevin Dayhoff, Find the article here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-eagle-archives-1110-20131108,0,7516674.story

And here: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2013/11/black-americans-have-fought-for.html

http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/66751394874/african-americans-have-fought-for-our-freedoms

Labels: Annual Veterans Day, Dayhoff Media Explore Carroll, Diversity, Diversity African-American military, Military Maryland National Guard, Military veterans, Military Veterans Day - See more at: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2013/11/black-americans-have-fought-for.html#sthash.66cEG126.dpuf

This coming Monday, November 11, is Veteran’s Day. For many it is a day to pause and remember that the freedoms we enjoy have been paid for in full by the service in harm’s way by our country’s nearly 22 million military veterans.

According to the local Molleville Farm Post # 467 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, in 2008 9.2 million veterans were older than 64 years of age and 1.9 million were younger than 35.

In 2009, 1.5 million of our veterans were female, 1.1 million Hispanic and 2.3 million are African-American.

“If you study American history very closely, you will see that African-Americans have been stepping up to the plate to defend our nation since the founding of the Republic,” according to Brig. Gen. Linda Singh, 49, the recently appointed commander of the Maryland Army National Guard.

A month ago, on October 11, Singh was one of two keynote speakers at the 11^th annual Carroll County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Branch # 7014 Freedom Fund Banquet in Westminster – along with U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings, D-Dist. 7.

Soon after Singh assumed the commander responsibilities in August, she appointed Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Beyard to serve as the Maryland Army National Guard Command Sergeant Major. Many know Beyard, who served twice in the Middle East between 2006 and 2012, as the Westminster city director of housing and preservation services.

Singh is the first African-American – and the first woman to assume the position of commander. “I did not rise to my current assignment by myself. I stood on the shoulders of giants. For much of America's history, one nagging fact of life for African American military members is that they were risking their lives for second class citizenship up to the time of the war in Vietnam…

“If you ask why they would do this the answer from most is that this is their country too and there was always a hope that the inequities of the time would be settled. During the Revolutionary War, a newly freed slave named Peter Salem joined the Massachusetts Militia as a condition of his freedom. The folks were also known as Minutemen… During the American Civil War, 180,000 African Americans fought for the Union Army…”

“African-Americans have served in all of America's wars,” according to historian Jay Graybeal. He reported in research that he conducted for the Historical Society of Carroll County in the early 1990s, “Over 10,000 blacks served in the Continental Army and Navy forces; another 1,000 served with the British. Black seamen fought with great distinction at the critical Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

“The Federal government enlisted 178,975 blacks during the Civil War; 69,178 died during the conflict. Blacks were again called for service in World War I. Approximately 90 Carroll County men served in all-black U.S. Army units,” wrote Graybeal.

Another historian, Duane K. Doxzen, reported in his research for the Historical Society in the 1990s, “Although blacks had served in military units before the Civil War, it was this conflict that saw the enlistment of blacks in large numbers. A significant number of Carroll County free blacks and manumitted slaves enlisted in the United States Colored Troops. Most of these volunteers served in the Fourth Regiment U.S.C.T., a unit that had been formed around the volunteers from the two thousand black Baltimoreans who had aided in the fortification of the city amidst the panic of Robert E. Lee's northward incursion in 1863.

“We know at least fifty three blacks from Carroll County served in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War. Of this number seven were killed in action, died as the result of a wound inflicted in battle or died of disease. Seven others were discharged or mustered out with wounds or disabilities resulting from their service,” reported Doxzen.

“After the Civil War, the U.S. Congress allowed four colored regiments to be part of the United States Army...two cavalry and two infantry,” said Singh.

“Perhaps the most famous of those regiments was the l0th Cavalry. The soldiers of the regiment were nicknamed "Buffalo Soldiers" by Native

Americans because of the similarity of their hair to that of buffaloes.

“These soldiers fought Geronimo, bandits, bootleggers, Mexican revolutionaries and guarded the lives of American settlers who were occupying the West. The regiment fought alongside of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders during his attack on San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish American War.”

Singh observed, “The American Armed Forces were still largely segregated when World War II began in 1941. This did not stop African Americans from volunteering to serve their country….

“More than 966 African American aviators were trained at an isolated training complex at the Tuskegee Institute near the town of Tuskegee Alabama… Four hundred and fifty black fighter pilots under the command of Colonel (later Lieutenant General) Benjamin 0. Davis, Jr. fought in the aerial war over North Africa, Sicily, and Europe…”

“While President Truman desegregated the Armed Forces in 1948, the civilian sector, especially in the south stubbornly grasped to segregation,” said Singh. “This did not stop African Americans from pursuing successful careers in the Armed Forces… Many African American women have made and are making successful careers in the American armed forces…

“Despite its historical flaws, the American Armed Forces has been a stellar example for personal achievement based on merit this is because, advancement, for the most part, is based upon what you do, not who you know….”

President John F. Kennedy said it best, “A nation reveals itself not only by the by the people it produces, but also by the people it honors, the people it remembers”.

Throughout history ordinary people have served in our extraordinary military and accomplished extraordinary things. For this we are eternally indebted and grateful.

And let’s not forget to say Happy Birthday Marines. November 10, 1775, is the official birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

Westminster will honor Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11, 4 p.m. at the Westminster Recreation and Parks Family Center, located in the old Longwell Armory, 11 Longwell Ave. The event is hosted by Carroll Post 31 American Legion.

When he is not reminiscing about serving in the Marines and whistling the “Marines’ Hymn,” “… from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli…,” while raking leaves, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at kevindayhoff (at) gmail.com. Semper Fi.