Transcripts For CSPAN3 Smithsonian National Museum Of Africa

You dont see the word military. It is not just about soldiers. It is about civilians. Men and women. Soldiers and civilians. Young and old. White and black. That is the long title. The short title, we return fighting, speaks to what happened after the war and how africanamericans use world war i as a transformative event for them, just like it was a transformative event throughout the globe. We explore that story throughout this hour of washington journal, day five of museum week on washington journal with our friends at America History tv, cspan3. Phone lines split up regionally. Eastern or central time zones, 202 7488000. Mountain or pacific time zones, 202 7488001. Special line set aside for africanamerican veterans, 202 7488002. Would love to hear from you as we explore this observe exhibit at the africanamerican museum of history and culture. This is a temporary exhibit, how long will this be up . How did this idea to focus on this story get included in the museum and open in december . It opened december 13 last year. It will be up until june 14, this year. Last year, was the 100th anniversary of world war i. A part of our mission is to illuminate always the story of americans through the africanamerican lens. We wanted to make sure that the African American experience during world war i was also highlighted. The reason the exhibition opened in 2019 and is still running goes directly to the title we talked about, we return fighting. The exhibition is not just about the africanAmerican Military experience. It is about africanamerican life and how africanamericans use world war i as a foundation to plant the seeds for what became the Civil Rights Movement after world war ii generation came back from fighting overseas as well. We thought about this exhibition as early as 201415, when i was talking to my then boss at the smithsonian, that we should do something for world war i. A couple years later, he, rick, and then founding director, lonnie, who is now the secretary of the smithsonian went to france and they came back and planted the seed that we would do a world war i exhibition. Then the guest curator and subject matter for military history, i got the nod to do this exhibition. The exhibition speaks to not just what happened in the war but what happened after. Military history first. When the u. S. Joined world war i. What role did the military planners see africanamerican soldiers playing . How much was that shaped by the service of africanamericans during the civil war, some of those civil war veterans who would have still been alive in their 70s and 80s by the time world war i broke out . Thats a great question. The bookend of the exhibition is 1865 on the front end and 1963 on the back end. So, when we talk about the exhibition, we all show plant the seed of what was going on in america between 1865 after the American Civil War and before world war one. All the shaping of the experience and youth was partly the service of African Americans in the civil war and on the western frontier. Lets talk about the American Civil War. The 13th amendment which abolished slavery in 1865, the 17th amendment which gave the 14th amendment in 1868 which gave African Americans citizenship and the 17th the 15th amendment which gave African American men the right to vote and the Regal Organization act of 1866 which made African Americans a permanent part of the military. Then this area of reconstruction of the uptick and the life and the progress of African Americans. When you look to world war one, there is not this idea that we didnt want to put African Americans on the ballot because what happened after the civil war was an uptick. Also, there was a fear to not harm large names of African American groups and the push was to use African Americans largely in services of supply role but there were African American divisions. I also want to back up and talk about the first interpretation that we talk about what was said on stage. When you walk into the exhibition, the first interpretation has three conversations going on the, you have the conversation between scholar w. Eat be and you have a conversation between the president of the United States woodrow wilson. Woodrow wilson and then theres a conversation with this young 28 year old activists from jacksonville, florida. Wta beat the boys says in 1918 in a crisis magazine, which had been his sentiment for years before 1917 is that African Americans should put their separate grievances aside, close ranks with the right white brother and and fight. That was around the same time where a president wilson goes before joint session of congress on april 2nd and that sevenpage speech we all remember that nine, ten, 11 word phrase where we must fight to make the world safe for democracy. When African Americans here that, they believe because they are citizens, they are third, fourth and fifth generation americans. The leading scholar is saying close ranks, most African Americans believe that. Many of them will support the war. However, there is a third conversation going on. Rand off, when you walk into the exhibition, you see his quote, we would rather make georgia safe each one of those have an image. An image under him is three individuals and a cake cake a regalia. The image that you see under randalls quote and the image of the president and the capital and the image of young men joining the war are all within a year span. When you understand that African Americans are going to fight a war to make the world safe for democracy and many of them believe that the world and america would be safe for than when they get back you will understand the rest of the exhibition. The exhibition we are exploring today, fighting the african experience in world war one, a special phone line for africanamerican veterans, 202 7488002. Otherwise, phone lines split up regionally. Eastern, central time zones, 202 7488000. Mountain, pacific time zones, 202 7488001. How many africanamerican soldiers would serve 19171919 . What did the americas british and french allies think of those soldiers . Nearly 200,000 of those went overseas and so that was the number that served. When they went overseas, a portion of the African Americans did serve under the french. The 93rd infiltrate division, which included for African American regiments. They served under the french. When they served under the french, they were treated with a level of equality that they had not experienced in america. The french, who they served with, treated them as equal and they were happy to get the soldiers because, remember in 1917, by the time the u. S. Entered the war, the war had been going on for three years for the french and the british. And with the British Forces, when you talk about African Americans, there is very little contact, if any contact, between African Americans and British Forces during world war one. The british did have their colonial forces in the enforces. I also want to talk about when you talk about African American soldiers and their contact with some of their european counterparts. In this exhibition we not only interpret the story of African Americans but we interpret the story of black people throughout the globe, so the french had about 17 colonies and that when the french went to war, they went to war immediately in 1914. The british had about 15,000 black colonial troops that went to war when they went to war 1914. Even germany have four colonies on the continent of africa. There was very little contact between African Americans and the british but there was a lot of contact between African Americans and the french. Not only the 93rd division about with the french but you have almost roughly 160,000 plus African American services of supply soldiers who are throughout ports in france and making sure supplies get fourth. Through that interest in seeing these African Americans who are not the French Colonial troops that most french people had been reading about. About 45 minutes left in this segment. We want to hear from you. Your questions, your comments. We tore this exhibit with you, learn about the history and let you ask your questions. David is on that line for African American veterans out of detroit. David, you are on with colonel. Thank you washington journal and colonel, thank you very much. I have a question for you colonel, i am just finishing up this wonderful book. Its called, the blood ran. It was by a gentleman name eugene. Are you familiar with eugene . Absolutely. He is interpreted within the exhibition. I was wondering. I had not heard you up till now mention him, if im not mistaken. He was one of the first African American combat pilots. Well let colonel salter pick up from their. Absolutely well he was not one of the first, he was the first African American Fighter Pilot or combat pilot if you will so lets talk about that definition, there is no mistake that the Tuskegee Airmen in world war ii were the first African American combat pilots to fly for the United States. So eugene flew for the french. When you talk about that contact, the u. S. Was not training African Americans to fly and eugene was already in france before the war he was, his father got into a fight it was a boxer any joined a legion hes interpreted different times when you have that global war and im pointing a little bit because were in the gallery he joined a French Foreign legion he was wounded that were done actually one of the two bloody battles in 1916 and then he became a pilot. Then he became a pilot, he flew with the french. The continuation of his story, where we interpret him after the war, is also part of that. He owns a club for a short time. He is a manager of many clubs. He is one of the drummers. We have footage in this exhibition of him playing drums. Eugene bullard, interpreted within this exhibition. He is a key to the africanamerican experience during world war i, although he served with the french. Another individual story explored. Sergeant thomas shaw. Sergeant thomas shaw represents what we talked about earlier. What is going on with the black experience between 18651917. He was a buffalo soldier, the ninth calvary regiment. In 1891 awarded the medal of honor. I believe his particular story, they were fighting in mexico. They were outnumbered, 31. He exposed himself in what we call today, suppressive fire, to allow his comrades to survive that particular battle. He is interpreted within exhibition, a story develops around artifacts. We own his medal of honor at the Smithsonian National museum of africanamerican history and culture. Medal of honor as an affecting his image not to there are also eight African Americans who awarded peace time medals of honor who were serving in the navy during that era. There is also six African Americans who are awarded the medal of honor during the spanish american war. Five soldiers, one sailor. We use thomas shaws medal of honor as an artifact to his image not to highlight him, but the fact that average americans had been serving their country since the American Civil War but actually African Americans have been serving their country before the boston massacre which is where we often start with. They have served in all wars, the colonial war as well. Africanamerican veterans have a special line we have set aside, 202 7488002. We would love to hear from you. Phone lines open for everyone else. 202 7488000, eastern, central time zones. 202 7488001, mounted and pacific mountain pacific time zones. Good morning, colonel salter, thank you for your service. Is it true when africanamerican soldiers would come back to america, if they are fighting for this country, they would be attacked or lynched if they had uniforms on . That true . It is true africanamerican veterans were lynched during the red summer. We have interpretation of that. The red summer was not just a three month period of the calendar year summer. It starts on april 1, 1919 and runs through november, 1919. It is a period in this country after africanamericans go, close ranks, put their grievances aside, as w. E. B. Dubois said, and they go to fight to make the world safe for democracy, as the president said, just aposed against what randall said, they come back to a nation, 1919, bloodier than 1916, 1915, 1914. And that interpretation, we thought about, how do you make this red summer pop . A lot of us read about it in textbooks. Exhibition tells the story, a picture is worth 1000 words. When you come here, you see those nearly 40 riots that happened throughout the country. Most of them in the southeast. Then you see this note at the bottom. 53 separate lynchings happened. During the red summer. How do you make it pop . We researched and identified 12 veterans who were lynched during the red summer and their names are on that graphic. There were veterans who were lynched in 1919 after world war i. I will tell the story one, im sorry, go ahead. Tell the story, please. Well tell the story, the last name on there is a guy named lee wright johnston, we come to the exhibition, the 12th name is Lee Roy Johnson and hes from a lane arkansas and they are historians and they know about elaine arkansas in early october of 1919. Up and they came back from a hunting trip and all four were killed and all soldiers were meeting in a combat unit or a supply unit they. Survived europe, it was 365 and were part of the fighters and they were a veteran that served in the trenches and came back. Each one of those and then and then it would be interesting to highlight. You mentioned a picture is worth 1000 words, a flag might be worth 1000 words as well. We we have been showing viewers images of a flag, a man was lynched where did that flag hang . Ok, so, when we talk about why this exhibition is, correction 2019 2020 the title, we returned to fighting, the experience of africanamericans was not just about the battlefield. Based on what we talked about, when you are immersed in the exhibition coming in, learning about black life, then you come to this area where we have 13 interpretations, this great Photo Gallery behind me, then you go to the end of the exhibition, what happens after the war . The new negro emerges, this aggressive Africanamerican Community who is no longer willing to accept the status quo that they had been living in before the war, after hearing those comments. What the naacp did is they made this flag and they hung it over headquarters in new york for 18 years, 19201938. They did it based on what you said is on the flag. A man was lynched yesterday. The intent was to highlight, this is still going on in this country. Somewhere there is a log, i cannot tell you how many days it flew, but every day after a man was lynched, the naacp hung that flag over headquarters. The key thing about that flag is it is owned by the library of congress. Temporary exhibition. It is not really something we want to collect all of these items. Some items are oneofakind. They gave that to us on loan. When it comes off exhibition, june 14, because it is a textile, it will go into storage for another 10 years. For those of us, like me, a historian, or a student reading books, and we saw that flag as an image, it is actually here. That is what the flag represents. It goes along with the red summer. What africanamericans were doing and their white supporters, and that is key about the exhibition as well, and the museum. You know, museums should exist to tell inclusive stories. We are talking about people who are pushing the africanamerican experience forward, not just africanamericans. There is a representative from st. Louis, missouri, leah oneida stier. He put forward an antilynching bill which never passes. That flag is just a strong image. Naacp had the audacity to make this flag and hang it over headquarters. Halfway through this, our final stop of our museum week series on washington journal, exploring d. C. Area museums, talking about the american experience. We are at the Smithsonian National museum of africanamerican history and culture. Our guest, colonel Krewasky Salter taking your phone calls. 202 7488002 for africanamerican veterans. Other phone lines split up regionally. Washington, d. C. , up next with colonel salter. As an africanamerican woman and an older, i am 84, how does that exhibit, how is it related or has responded to by the millennial, the new group of young people, the millennials i think they call them . Thank you. Yes, maam. Thank you. I will tell you from children as young as 10 i see coming in with parents to great senior americans as yourself in their 80s, everyone is responding to the exhibition very well throughout ages. As curators, our images are not plastered all ov