Wanted to start out by sharing with you the partnership between the National Parks conservatives association, and the association of study of life and history began more than 28 years ago. It was then at that irena webster, and govern spencer dug, joined with the woman who would become my first boss at ncaa, i had to get right. Had the vision to join forces to support an enhanced the work that the National Parks service is doing in order to protect the African American experience. Sadly, i had to give passed away earlier this year. I want to take a moment at the start of this conversation about the preservation of the history of the struggle to achieve black Voting Rights, to remember my boss, my friend and a true pioneer in the long and ongoing process to make congress this survey shun and preservation organizations like and pca, more just, equitable, diverse and inclusive. Thank you diana. Now, for our panel today, folks are going to be aware of the history of the struggle of Voting
Years ago. It was then that Irena Webster and Barbara Spencer dunn joined with the woman who became my first boss at the aspca. They had the vision to get right to support the works the Parks Service was doing to protect the africanamerican experience. Sadly, irena passed away at the start of this year, and i wanted to take a moment to talk about the preservation of the history to achieve black Voting Rights to remember my boss, my friend, and the true pioneer in the long and ongoing process to make conservation and preservation organizations like npca more inclusive. For our panel today, people will understand that it is wideranging, multifaceted and current. Its still going on. What we want to do with this panel of experts and people who are my friends, folks that i admire, is to get their insights on this issue, but maybe in more specific and direct ways. We have one person, Josephine Bolling mccall, who actually lived through the struggle for Voting Rights. Well hear from josephine
A very complicated thing. Yes, just two quick questions. I was wondering if the panel was familiar with the work of the late dr. Reuben westin. He passed, i think, last year. He was the author of racism and u. S. Imperialism. He taught at central state. He was a chairman of the History Department at one point. We talked about how the u. S. Government squashed the revolts of antonio meseo in cuba. The second part is i had an uncle named richard kidd who fought in world war i and came back, quote, unquote, shell shocked, and he spent some time in a hospital in danville, illinois, and i dont know could you speak to how black soldiers were treated upon their return to the United States . I know going to a bad Army Hospital was not the worst thing that could happen to you, but i dont know if these hospitals were segregated or theres because having a crazy uncle somewhere in your house is a trope in fiction from that period of time. The crazy uncle probably also had a child with a french nam