SAN ANGELO, Texas — On this Buffalo Memorial Soldiers Day, the San Angelo chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People wants to teach the community about the sacred history of Black American soldiers.
Included in the four-day event are two living history presenters, Douglas “Woody” Woodard and Charles Young. They have both been presenters for a combined 45 years and hope the next generation will take interest in learning about the soldiers who paved the way.
“We go to school events and we just do a living history presentation and share the information about the Buffalo Soldiers. We share what they did, how they were formed. There's a lot of things that people don't realize that the Buffalo Soldiers were involved in,” Young explained.
Buffalo Soldiers were installed after the Civil War in 1866 and Young said the Buffalo Soldiers were involved in almost every American war up until the dissolution in 1951.
The Fort Concho National Historic Landmark Museum prioritized preserving the history of the Buffalo Soldiers, as the soldiers were stationed in San Angelo for a period of time.
In February 1987, Fort Concho's Buffalo Soldiers began taking part in the living history program at the museum. Woodward has hoped getting the word out and getting people involved will help the Buffalo Soldier history live on.
“We got involved in the Southwest Associates of American Soldiers in Arizona when there was no representation of Buffalo Soldiers for a while. Now, there’s a monument there where you can go and learn their history. That makes me feel good because where we’re all gone, that will still be there,” Woodward shared.
The San Angelo City Council recently approved the development of the Buffalo Soldier Memorial near Fort Concho Museum. NAACP president Sherley Spears is working with an architect to help with designing the memorial as needed. It’s projected to be open to the public no later than summer 2023.
To stay updated on upcoming Buffalo Soldier events, visit the San Angelo NAACP Buffalo Soldier Memorial Facebook page.