Chicago, IL. (10 April 2008)—- The call to serve one’s country has always been of special significance in conferring the highest claim of citizenship and patriotic responsibility. The irony however, for the more than 14 million Black men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States, the right to serve, fight and die for America has been a battle of its own long before the colonies enlisted its first militia. To this end, the DuSable Museum of African American History will present a new exhibition entitled RED, WHITE, BLUE & BLACK: A HISTORY OF BLACKS IN THE ARMED FORCES. The exhibition, developed by the DuSable Museum has an open-ended run beginning on Friday, April 18, 2008 at the Museum located at 740 East 56th Place (57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue) in Chicago.
Beginning with the Revolutionary War, Blacks were systematically prevented from serving in various roles in America’s Armed Forces. Unfortunately, discriminatory practices continued through every major American confrontation both foreign and domestic through the Vietnam War….despite noted accounts of military heroism by African Americans. Sadly, many Black soldiers returned from their tours of duty to a society where their acts of valor were rewarded with economic hardship, absent or inadequate pension payments and the ultimate price, being lynched in their beloved American uniform.
Red, White, Blue & Black: A History of Blacks in the Armed Forces, is not about the glorification of war, rather it was inspired by those whose deeds have gone unnoticed; those who have fought this country’s external enemies while having to contend with the internal enemy of racism and inequality. “This exhibition highlights acts of patriotism by Black soldiers who labored under the hypocritical creed of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ for all Americans at a time when Blacks were treated as ‘Second Class Citizens,’” said Charles Bethea, Director of Curatorial Services of the DuSable Museum.
Featuring more than 100 artifacts, objects, images and documents, Red, White, Blue & Black, highlights the robust collection of militaria from the DuSable Museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition is divided into seven historical eras: the Revolutionary War; the American Civil War; Westward Expansion and the Spanish American War; World War I; World War II; the Korean War; and the Vietnam War.
Red, White, Blue & Black: A History of Blacks in the Armed Forces is made possible in part by the Chicago Park District, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency and United Airlines, the official airline of the DuSable Museum.
Admission to the DuSable Museum is $3 for adults; $2 for students and senior citizens; $1 for children ages 6 through 12 and children under the age of 6 are admitted free. Sundays are FREE TO ALL courtesy of “Bank of America FREE SUNDAYS.”
The DuSable Museum of African American History, the oldest institutions of its kind in the country, has been dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of the history and culture of Africans and Americans of African descent for 46 years. For more information on the Museum and its programs, please call (773) 947-
0600 or you may visit our website at http://www.dusablemuseum.org.
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