LIBERTY — Garrison School Cultural Center and Corbin Theater, 502 N. Water St., will host a program honoring African-American veterans of World War I at 10 a.m. May 13.
The program will feature William Jewell College Communications Department student scholars and their professor, Dr. Joshua Hoops, who have researched and reviewed lesser-known history about African American WWI soldiers in the Great War.
This student-led program is in collaboration with the Clay County African American Legacy Inc., the Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group, and the Liberty African American Legacy Memorial Project for Fairview and New Hope cemeteries where more than 750 African Americans are buried in segregated, mostly unmarked graves.
After the Liberty Legacy Memorial research team identified eight African American WWI veterans from the Northland area buried at Fairview and New Hope, the Liberty Cemetery Committee cleaned and repaired headstones and placed military flag markers identifying the soldiers’ graves.
As Americans prepare for Memorial Day, Garrison and Corbin encourage the public to come out and learn the history of African-American service in World War I. This live-streamed and in-person program is a part of the Clay County Bicentennial Celebration is free and open to the public.
