Building 'a more perfect union': Milwaukee VA marks Black History Month

That was the message from Chaplain Leivonie Harris, keynote speaker at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center’s Black History Month program on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Matousek Auditorium.

“We cannot build a more perfect union in isolation,” said the Rev. Harris, a U.S. Navy Veteran and chaplain at the Milwaukee VA. “Progress is communal labor.”

“As we know, community builds covenant. If one of us suffers, we respond. If one of us rises, we celebrate. If one of us struggles, we stand nearby. In the military, no one survives alone. There is always someone on your left and someone on your right.”

Strides in the military

She noted the great strides made by African Americans throughout American history, especially in the military, where they fought valiantly in every conflict despite racism, discrimination and unfair treatment at nearly every turn.

The Minority Veteran Program at the Milwaukee VA works to increase local awareness of minority Veteran-related issues, to increase participation in VA benefits, and to ensure that we provide benefits and services without barriers to access. To learn more, contact Minority Veteran Program Coordinator Will Johnson at .

She lauded the courage and resolve of the Buffalo Soldiers, Harlem Hellfighters, Tuskegee Airmen as well as famous individuals such as Dorie Miller, who earned the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during Pearl Harbor, and the accomplishments of former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, former Secretary of Defense Gen. Lloyd Austin and surgeon/researcher Dr. Charles Drew.

“They fought inequity at home, and yet they served,” she said.

And even though President Harry Truman officially desegrated the armed forces in 1948, inequity and discrimination continued, she said.

'Verifiable progress'

“But it was verifiable progress,” she said. “Today, African American Veterans serve in every branch, in every rank, lead facilities, conduct research and receive integrated care across the nation.”

But she said future generations won’t look back on how we celebrated history. “They will ask whether we strengthened community,” she said.

“A more perfect union will not build itself,” she said. “It will be built by people who choose justice over apathy, service over status and unity over fear. May we continue walking — not divided, not defeated — but determined toward a more perfect union.”

African Americans in the military

Part of the program included a look at the history of African Americans in the military, provided by Will Johnson, Equal Employment Opportunity officer and harassment prevention coordinator for the Milwaukee VA.

 He noted that African Americans have served since the American Revolution, battling America’s enemies as well as discrimination from their government and fellow soldiers.

That history is reflected, he said, in the words of an old Army recruiting song: “It wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t always fair. But when freedom called, we answered. We were there.”

“African Americans have worn the uniform in every era, often fighting for freedom and benefits that were not fully extended to them at the time,” he said. “Their courage in combat and persistence in service helped change our military and, over time, have contributed to the broader changes in American society.”

Integration during Revolution

He showed paintings from the Revolution that clearly show Black soldiers fighting alongside their white comrades, noting that most military units were integrated then.

In the Civil War, African Americans again answered the call “as military service became both a military and a moral turning point,” he said.

“They fought in some of the war’s hardest campaigns and suffered heavy casualties from combat and disease. Their service helped secure a Union victory and gave powerful weight to the cause of emancipation, laying a foundation for later generations of Veterans to claim full citizenship and benefits.”

Their service continued through America’s westward push and through World War I and World War II. But despite overwhelming evidence of these soldiers’ tenacity, bravery and patriotism, they continued to face discrimination from their own country.

'Double V' campaign

In World War II, “they framed their participation as a ‘Double V’ campaign — victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home,” he said. Their service led to Truman’s order that desegrated the armed forces.

“African American service members have remained vital to every major operation — in the Gulf War, and later in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.

Johnson noted the African American Veterans the Milwaukee VA serves today “bear the physical and invisible wounds of long, high-tempo wars, bringing with them a proud legacy of service.”

“Their path to leadership and an integrated professional force reflects the hard-won progress the U.S. military has made, even as work remains to be done — not perfect, but moving forward.”