Photo By Master Sgt. Teresa Gallagher | U.S. Army Col. Richard Dix, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff Strategy and...... read more read more
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Senior Airman Teresa J.C. Aber
633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
FORT EUSTIS, Va. – Service members from Joint-Base Langley Eustis gathered in Jacobs Theater for an African-American History Month observance ceremony, hosted by the 11th Transportation Battalion, 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary).
This year’s theme, Civil Rights in America, chronicled many important milestones and individuals who were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement.
Soldiers from the 11th Trans. Bn. read the biographies of Civil Rights activists who made significant contributions in African-American history such as Rosa Parks, Robert F. Kennedy, Sojourner Truth and Thurgood Marshall.
“It’s important for us to highlight what Civil Rights activists did for our nation and how far we’ve come,” said U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Elehia Williams, 331st Trans. Company, 11th Trans. Bn., 7th TB(X) platoon leader and native of Charlotte, N.C. “I hope service members learn something new because it’s important for us to learn from our past and continue to grow.”
As part of the ceremony, soldiers re-enacted the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” at The University of Alabama June 11, 1963, where Gov. George C. Wallace stood at the door of the auditorium, trying to block the entry of two African-American students, Vivian Malone Jones and James Hood.
Wallace, confronted by U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, refused to stand down. Katzenbach then called President John F. Kennedy, who federalized the Alabama National Guard to escort the students into the school
Guest speaker Col. Richard Dix, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff Strategy and Integration director, believes the ceremony helped remind service members of the relevance of the Civil Rights Movement in today’s society.
“We have to continue to have [this] dialogue,” said Dix, a native of Atlanta. “We, as a community, must find ways to preserve our history so we can keep the hopes and dreams of those who came before us alive and relevant today.”
Dix concluded the event by reminding service members of the significance of African-American history and American history.
“Black History Month is so much more than just remembering the lives of those who did something extraordinary and revolutionary,” said Dix. “When we learn about history, we must learn about the good, the bad and the ugly. We must learn from our past so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes in our future.”
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2014 11:30 |
| Story ID: | 121115 |
| Location: | FORT EUSTIS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 98 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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