Meet Buffalo Soldiers National Museum Archivist Jason Fung. His love for military history
started as a childhood passion that later evolved into the museum world. His first experience
was as a docent at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, talking about the dinosaurs at the
central and Sugar Land campuses from 2011 to 2015.

Jason graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor of Arts in History
and a minor in Environmental Science in 2017. He went on to attend the University of Texas at
Arlington to receive his Master’s Degree in Archival Administration and a Public History
certificate. During his time at UT Arlington, his museum experience truly flourished. He had the
opportunity to intern at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (2020) and the Military Museum of
Fort Worth (2021). One year later, BSNM hired him to be their archivist. Since then, the
museum has provided Jason with opportunities to continue developing his love for history and
museums.

As the archivist of the BSNM, Jason’s job is to catalog and preserve our museum collections.
His main job at the BSNM is to ensure that the artifacts are properly handled and stored to
maintain their condition. BSNM is modernizing this capacity and structure to maintain its
collections. To achieve this, BSNM is developing a space for Archival Storage that meets
contemporary standards. It will be his job to ensure these standards and practices of collection
preservations will be held to the highest standard.

DR. MICHELLE TOVAR

Director of Education

Dr. Tovar is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating museum education programs and expanding the museum’s engagement. She is an advocate for BIPOC representation in formal and informal learning environments.

She is a Smithsonian Latino Museum Studies alum, a Fulbright-Hays scholar, and serves as a Houston Coalition Against Hate Board Member. In 2020, Dr. Tovar was awarded the American Alliance of Museums Ed Com Award for Excellence in Practice.

BRIT JONES

Special Events Coordinator

Brit has worked as an Event Director for over 10 years, planning large and small-scale events all over the country. She was born and raised outside of Houston, and after attending the Art Institute of New York City, she lived and worked in New York until returning to Houston and joining the BSNM team. 

She is the mother of a young daughter and stepson and loves taking photos and running in her free time.

CALE CARTER

Director of Exhibitions

Cale has nearly ten years of experience in the field of public history, tracing back to when he volunteeed at the BSNM as a teen. He attended Huston-Tillotson University where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History. 

Cale was a Research Fellow in the Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and a Living Historian with the Texas State Parks and Wildlife Buffalo Soldiers Heritage and Outreach Program. After graduating, he returned to his home state of South Carolina to work as a Research Intern for ColumbiaSC63 and Curator of Exhibits for the South Carolina Military Museum.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

In honor of American Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King, the U.S. Congress established a national holiday known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1983. He is known as a leader for all people, setting an example for generations, young and old, confronting discrimination, violence, and oppression with courage. Dr. King’s leadership and nonviolent actions led to many peaceful protests across the United States during the Civil Rights Movement. The most significant protest in history was the 1963 March on Washington, where King and other prominent civil rights leaders delivered speeches against racial discrimination and in support of the pending congressional civil rights legislation. Dr. King gave one of the most memorable and famous speeches in U.S. history during this political demonstration. His “I Have a Dream…” speech would become a defining moment in the civil rights movement calling for equality and freedom from segregation. He would later be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his successful contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.

In his early efforts for racial justice, Dr. King participated and led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). This protest sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks would last 13 months ending segregation on public buses by the U.S. Supreme Court and calling it unconstitutional. By 1957 Dr. King and other civil rights leaders established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help Southern civil rights organizations take local action. In 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King’s campaign to end segregation at lunch counters gained national attention when police officers turned dogs and water hoses on demonstrators during the protest. Dr. King was jailed for participating, and it was during this time he wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an essay on his philosophy of nonviolence.

He continued to make strides in Civil Rights Movement by registering Black voters in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. King organized a march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery. During the journey to the capital, state troopers violently attacked the marchers. Civil Rights leader John Lewis among 50 other marchers, were hospitalized. This violent demonstration towards the peaceful marchers was known as “Bloody Sunday.” Two days later, despite a federal restraining order, Dr. King, joined by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led more than 2,000 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge onto the state capital. There King addressed the crowd in what became known as his “How Long, Not Long” speech. The demonstrators’ numbers grew to about 25,000 during the five-day 54-mile march. In his speech, Dr. King stated, “There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more inspiring than the pilgrimage of clergymen and laymen of every race and faith pouring into Selma to face danger at the side of its embattled Negroes” (King, Address at the Conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March, 121).

Two years later, Dr. King helped plan a Poor People’s March to Washington to bring national attention to the connection between poverty and urban violence. In the spring of 1968, before the march was scheduled, Dr. King made a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, to support the city’s sanitation workers’ strike. On April 4, a day after delivering his speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ, Dr. King was assassinated while standing on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel.

Dr. King’s contributions and dedication to civil and human rights in the United States transformed the country during his time. Still, his legacy and philosophy of nonviolence live on today to end inequality and bring justice to many Americans. Today we reflect and acknowledge how far we have come and how much more work there is to do. 

To learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, visit the National Civil Rights Museum at www.civilrightsmuseum.org.

2022 was quite a year! In fact, so was the past three years.  We have all experienced remarkable and, at times, painful change, filled with highs and lows. The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum was not immune from the impact as we struggled to sustain ourselves and remain relevant, like other museums locally, nationally and across the globe. This period of seismic change compelled us to be reflective about the museum and our role. That reflection resulted in fresh perspectives, an awakening and the opportunity to reinvent ourselves. 

As a leader, these experiences have pushed me to create space for reflection and be deliberate in reimagining the vision for museum in consideration of current state of the world. I have been inspired to explore strategies to increase our impact and be an active partner in ushering in positive change amidst the ever-growing concern and constantly changing social and political climate. What I have learned in this process is that it is important to be clear, calm, confident and just GO FOR IT. In this new year, you will begin to see the results. 

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is growing and evolving, and I am honored and delighted to share some wonderful news with all of you. We began 2023 by adding three new team members to our small but mighty family: Brittany Jones as Special Events Coordinator, Dr. Michelle Tovar as Director of Education and Cale Carter II as Director of Exhibitions. I am elated to have such talented, dedicated and passionate men and women eager to advance our mission, educate our audience and expand our reach. 

We have only just begun. I’d like to personally invite you to join us on our Path Forward. There are various ways you can partner with us in our growth. Participate in a program, attend an event, stop by for a visit with family, friends or colleagues, volunteer your time, donate a monetary gift, join a museum committee, shop in our gift shop and confirm your enlistment in our member ranks by becoming a member. Rest assured, there is a place for you here at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum. 

The future of the BSNM looks bright but it will be even brighter with you in it. I hope to see you soon.

As always, Ready and Forward

Desmond Bertrand-Pitts, CEO

History

Freedom! Juneteenth embodies the ideal written in the Constitution that “all men are equal.” When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, word didn’t reach the slaves of Galveston, Texas until June 19, 1865, when Union forces freed the enslaved people of the area.

Enlisted in the union forces were segregated all black-units, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, a nickname given to them by the Native Americans for their fierce fighting spirit and hair similar to the buffalo of the Great Plains.

Juneteenth cements the idea that we are not free until we are all free. Such a holiday calls for celebration, and what better place to celebrate than the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum.

Events at the Museum

The Museum kicked off the week with a Juneteenth-themed version of M.A.D. (Museum After Dark), a very popular monthly event. At the event, guests enjoyed barbecue, drinks, numerous board games, and music, all while keeping the exhibits open for tours. “I’ve been coming to M.A.D for a few months now, each time has been better than the last,” said one visitor.

Next, on the eve of Juneteenth, the Buffalo Soldiers Museum put together a Juneteenth festival to remember. Visitors were treated with live action performances of Harriet Tubman and others.

One visitor, Patricia, was moved to tears after watching the Harriet Tubman live performance, “it’s so deep…it hurts because I feel that some of our young people are ashamed of our history. What they don’t understand is what we forget, we’re doomed to repeat.”

Her husband, Ike, also loved the performance. “When you read, you often miss the intimacy of the information being taught. The demonstration really drives the point home,” he said.

Next, we were proud to show off “herstory” with our new women veterans exhibit which highlights the stories and achievements of women in the armed forces. “Herstory” not only includes stories of women in the past like Cathay Williams, but also contains stories of present female heroes like Vanessa Guillen and Jasmin Moghbeli.

While trekking through the museum it’s more than likely you happened upon our archivist, Jason, who was so kind to take some of the Museum artifacts and put them on display so that visitors could interact and gain a deeper understanding of the history behind them.

Finally, we had a room dedicated to the history of Juneteenth and how it came to be a holiday. Of course, our Juneteenth wasn’t all about education. There were drinks, food, games, and a live mural painting.

When asked, some of the visitors wanted to give their opinion on Juneteenth and the Museum. “In my home state of Kentucky, we celebrate August 8 because that was the emancipation date of our area, so Juneteenth is new to us,” stated Ruby Tolliver. “It’s nice to see the nation and museum celebrate Juneteenth as a holiday and get the recognition it deserves.”

Background

Hugh McElroy, a black soldier, was born in Springfield, Kentucky, on February 29, 1884, to Sarah and Thomas McElroy. In 1898 he lied about his age and enlisted in the Tenth United States Cavalry. He served in Cuba in the Spanish-American War and afterward in the Philippine Insurrection. A few years after returning for the Pacific, McElroy and the Tenth participated in the border campaigns against Francisco (Pancho) Villa, accompanying Gen. John J. Pershing into Mexico in 1916. During World War I he landed in France with the 317th Engineers. On September 10, 1918, while attached to the Thirty-third Corps, Seventh French Army, he received from French War minister Georges Clemenceau the Croix de Guerre for gallantry in action. He also received the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War I Victory Medal, the Philippine Insurrection Service Medal, the World War Volunteer Service Medal, and the National Defense Medal. He said that he was “always crazy about soldiering.”

Life After Enlistment

After his military service ended in 1927, McElroy followed his brother, Thomas, to Houston, where he was a hospital orderly. During World War II he was the head janitor at Ellington Field. He also participated in bond drives as a speaker and poster model, for which Henry Morganthau, Jr., United States Secretary of the Treasury, cited him on January 11, 1945. McElroy was reportedly the first African American whose picture appeared as an advertisement for United States War Bonds. After the war, he worked at local recruiting stations until retiring permanently. HemisFair ’68 in San Antonio honored him in the Texas Pavilion by displaying a life-size portrait of him, beneath which was a recounting of his military record.

In December of 1968 he and his oldest son rescued two children from a burning house near his Houston home. The Texas Senate commended the McElroys for their bravery. McElroy married Philamena Woodley in 1918, and they had four sons and two daughters. He died on December 29, 1971. A detachment from For Sam Houston buried him in Paradise Cemetery, Houston, with full military honors.

My time as an intern at the BSNM is quite an eye-opening experience. While I have a limited background in military history, I lacked knowledge on the subject matters at the BSNM. The Buffalo Soldiers and even African American soldiers were never a subject matter in any of my history courses in school. Interning at BSNM would allow me to broaden my perspective and understanding of United States military history with a focus on the African American experience.

I work with a program called Past Perfect for BSNM. The program is supposed to contain the entire catalog of artifacts and documents found at the museum. But there is no way I can do it all by myself. The museum staff has been essential in helping me learn about the artifacts and records of the museum. I rely on what I learned at the museum to create better-detailed records on the artifacts. They give me context to artifacts that I can relay into Past Perfect. It is a great honor to listen to the veterans who call this museum home talk about the artifacts. Their stories allow me to archive artifacts for the museum, hence the role of an archival intern.

Working with artifacts at the museum has been something entirely different than what I expected. Thought-provoking would be the two words I would say to describe my time learning at the museum. The history and the significance of some of the artifacts I have worked with really put into perspective just how critical military service is to a nation. Based on what I have learned at the BSNM, military service for African Americans was an essential milestone that defined them as legitimate United States citizens. Amazingly, African Americans volunteered their services to protect and serve a nation that oppressed them. It is no wonder that they are deserving of the name Buffalo Soldier.

My time so far at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum has been nothing short of inspiring. I am constantly learning new things about communications and American history all at the same time. I have loved history for as long as I can remember, I even scored a 100% on my History TAKS test in the 3rd grade (for which I am very proud lol). This interest in all things history really made me want to join the team here at BSNM. As soon as I stepped foot into the building I knew that this was the place I wanted to spend my summer internship.

I have so many moments that have been so great this far into my internship. One of my favorite moments so far was being able to be a part of putting on two virtual tours here at the museum. Due to the pandemic, everyone has had to get more creative with how they can reach their audiences and the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is no different. My participation in any sort of virtual event prior to this internship has been zero, so I was excited to see how putting one on would work. The first virtual tour was conducted through Zoom and I believe it was for a university or college to help educate about the importance of Black History and Juneteenth. The second virtual tour was conducted through the Comcast version of Zoom and was for a school in Pflugerville. This was my favorite audience because they were young students all tuning in from home, and they had a bunch of questions for our tour guide Trooper Page. Following our tour guide around with the iPad as I was broadcasting these tours made me feel like a VIP getting my own private tour.

Trooper Page was incredibly knowledgeable on all the items housed here at the BSNM. My favorite parts of the tour would have to be the African American Athletes Breaking Barriers Exhibit, the NASA Exhibit aka the Modern Day Buffalo Soldiers, and the Cathy Williams Exhibit. Just like most of the exhibits in the museum, all of these contain stories of triumph and individuals overcoming some sort of societal constraint placed on them. I really connected with all of these incredible stories and I have been telling anyone who will listen to come to the museum and see these stories in person. If you’re able to, I’d schedule a tour with a docent because they can tell you more about the exhibits than the descriptions ever could. Either way the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is one of Houston’s hidden gems and I am so glad that I found them!

In this edition of #saluteasoldier, we salute Doris Miller, an American Sailor who made major contributions during the attacks on Pearl Harbor. He was born on October 12, 1919, in Waco, Texas. Before Pearl Harbor, Miller enlisted in the U.S Navy on September 16, 1939, as a Mess Attendant Third Class, a position that was given to few African Americans. He was first assigned to an ammunition ship called Pyro but later transferred to West Virginia on January 2, 1940. On this ship he would start boxing, becoming the ship’s heavyweight champion. He would rise to the position of Mess Attendant Second Class in 1941. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese would attack the naval base; Pearl Harbor. Miller was on duty collecting laundry on the lower deck of the USS West Virginia when the alarm ordered crewmembers to their battle stations. Miller would see that his station was destroyed by a Japanese torpedo. Miller would start carrying wounded men to safety including Capt. Mervyn Bennison the ship’s Commander. Miller then started shooting at enemy planes with a .50 caliber anti-aircraft gun (he was not trained to operate) which is used for an aerial attack. His #valor would earn him the Navy Cross which is the second-highest decoration after the Medal of Honor. After the attacks, a hero in his own right, Miller would become the face of recruiting African Americans to enlist in the navy. Miller would continue to serve until his death at the Battle of Makin on November 20, 1943, where his ship was struck by a Japanese submarine and would sink, killing 628 crewmembers out of 900, he was 24.

Every major change this country has endured comes from voting whether positive or negative the institution has been the epicenter of it all. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil Rights Movement they all needed policy to set standards for their respective ideologies. However, to achieve this they had to vote for an elected official to see that policy come to fruition. Voting is a part of the fabric of this nation because it gives us the freedom to determine where our country as a whole is headed. To be an active voter one cannot just vote every four years but vote in every election cycle. From the presidency to your county sheriff – there needs to be active voting participation. Voting is so important that it has been a form of oppression for some communities for centuries. The founding fathers knew the importance of proper representation that is why some people were excluded. This country was founded on checks and balances, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, are institutions created to have their own respective power so one could not overpower the other. For the American people voting is our power to keep those branches in check.

However, most Americans, the disenfranchised, and most marginalized communities don’t necessarily believe in the institutions as being for them. Due to the circumstances, they were born into, or societal norms that have been bestowed upon them all give them every reason to be skeptical. When growing up as a minority one can argue that you are constantly at odds with the status quo; due to the fact of your very being goes against the status quo. That is a hard pill to swallow but that is the reality for millions of Americans. Roughly 100 million eligible voters stayed home and did not participate in the 2016 election – that day they truly believed their vote did not matter, or if it did matter nothing would change. In their eyes, a person who did not look like them or have their best interests in mind would control the oval and the status quo of systemic oppression would remain.

As this election approaches whether you choose to sit it out or be a part of it one can only ask themselves, have I done my part? Have I used my power to check this government? President Barack Obama said it so poignantly that the people associated with the Civil Rights Movement had every right to give up and allow things to stay the same, but they didn’t! They knew that there was a way for true change – they knew they could make this country better, a more perfect union, and so they continued their fight for the right to vote. What is your excuse? If they did not give up on this country, why should you.