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From YouTube: Black Veterans Appreciation Brunch 2023
Description
Black Veterans have been invaluable members of America's military throughout our nation's history,. Mayor Wu, with the offices of Veterans' Services and Black Male Advancement, gathered at Dorchester's Florian Hall to celebrate the countless contributions and sacrifices made by Boston's Black Veterans
A
Good
morning,
distinguished
guest
friends
and
Families
I
would
like
to
welcome
you,
everyone
to
the
to
the
city
of
Boston's
black
veterans,
appreciation,
brunch
I
am
Barry.
Reeves
and
I
will
be
your
Master
of
Ceremonies.
This
morning,
ladies
and
Gentlemen,
please
rise
for
the
presentation
of
the
Colors
by
the
USS
Constitution
color
guard
and
remain
standing
for
the
National
Anthem
sung
by
the
Boston
black
Catholic
Gospel
Choir.
D
D
E
E
D
A
The
city
of
Boston
honors,
the
service,
bravery
and
sacrifice
and
achievements
of
African-Americans
in
our
Armed
Forces
black
Americans
have
a
storied
history
of
serving
their
countries
with
distinction,
and
today
we
thank
them
for
their
service
and
bravery
and
sacrifices
and
achievements.
African-American
veterans
have
fought
against
foreign
enemies
as
well
as
discrimination
and
segregation
at
home.
They
have
shown
us
The,
Bravery
beyond
measure
and
the
ability
to
conquer
incredible
odds.
A
The
city
of
Boston's
Department
of
Veterans
Services
advocates
for
our
veterans
and
their
families
by
connecting
them
connecting
them
with
the
benefits,
service
and
resources.
They've
earned,
they
find
innovative
ways
to
support
veterans
service
members
and
their
families
to
live
healthy
and
thriving
lives
in
the
city
of
Boston.
At
this
time,
I
would
like
to
introduce
a
man
who
has
made
a
difference
in
the
lives
of
veterans
within
the
city
of
Boston.
Commissioner
Robert
Santiago.
F
Oh
good
morning,
everyone
I
think
we
could
do
a
little
bit
better
than
that
all
right
good
morning.
Everyone
that's
a
whole
lot
better.
First
I
want
to
thank
Barry
for
wanting
to
be
the
master
ceremonies
again
this
year
and
thank
you
for
your
service
as
well,
and
also
for
being
a
very
active
member
of
our
community.
F
F
F
Not
here
today
is
city
council
president
Ed
Flynn
he's
actually
on
his
way
to
DC,
so
he's
traveling
to
be
a
part
of
the
DAV
National
Conference
I
will
be
joining
him
tomorrow.
I
think
it's
very
important
that
the
Boston
veterans
voices
is
also
heard
on
the
national
stage,
so
I'll
be
there
until
tomorrow.
F
Generational
event:
soon
there
are
going
to
be
Cadets
here
from
South
Boston
JROTC
XL
high
school.
There
are
also
active
duty
service
members
and
their
families.
They
are
veterans
from
many
eras
as
well
as,
as
we
all
know,
Boston's
Legacy
of
African
American
military
service
dates
back
to
the
Revolutionary
War.
You
can
see
that
Legacy.
Yes,.
F
In
October
of
2021,
we
broke
ground
to
create
a
park
worthy
of
the
memory
of
such
a
great
man.
The
great
man
is
General
Edward,
o
gordine,
but
it's
also
going
to
be
a
place
of
reflection
to
honor
the
service
and
sacrifices
of
our
black
veterans,
who
not
only
face
bullets
of
War,
but
also
the
weapons
of
discrimination
and
racism.
F
Today
we
celebrate
and
bring
awareness
to
the
accomplishment
of
so
many
who
served
and
those
who
continue
to
serve
our
country.
The
accomplishments
of
general
gourdain
served
as
a
role
model
for
many
young
black
men
and
women
who
see
the
importance
of
service
to
not
only
our
country
but
to
our
city
and
our
community.
General
gordine
was
a
man
of
many
firsts.
F
His
military
service
in
a
segregated
unit
reminds
us
of
black
War
veterans.
He
joined
the
student
training
Corps,
while
a
student
at
Harvard
University
in
1941.
He
entered
World
War
II
and
was
assigned
to
a
segregated
Union
the
372nd
Infantry
Regiment.
He
also
served
as
commanding
officer
of
the
272nd
during
the
Korean
War.
Excuse
me,
the
last
segregated
military
unit
in
the
United
States
after
his
military
service.
He
went
on
to
become
the
first
black
and
the
first
indigenous
person
to
be
appointed
to
the
superior
court
judge
here
in
Massachusetts.
F
The
park
will
be
officially
dedicated
and
opened
later
this
year.
At
this
time,
I
want
to
recognize
the
hard
work
and
dedication
of
the
veterans
and
family
of
Gordon
Park
committee,
who
for
many
years,
have
tirelessly
worked
hard
in
making
this
park
a
reality.
So
those
in
the
committee,
if
you
can
please
stand,
thank
you.
F
F
We
need
to
keep
s
alive.
We
need
to
show
our
gratitude
to
all
all
who
served
our
country.
That's
a
big
part
of
the
work
at
the
Mayor's
Office
of
Veterans
Services,
and
it's
especially
important
to
honor
those
who
served
while
facing
discrimination
and
Injustice
here
at
home.
We
recognize
the
major
impacts
that
black
bostonians
have
always
had
in
our
communities.
F
G
How
are
we
today,
it's
great
to
see
everyone?
So
thank
you
all
for
being
here
today
to
appreciate
and
honor
all
of
our
black
veterans
it's
hard
to
believe,
but
it
is
my
second
annual
black
veterans,
appreciation,
brunch
and
it's
great
to
see
so
many
friends
across
the
city,
so
many
familiar
faces
that
I've
got
to
meet
in
my
new
role
as
City
councilor,
Mr,
Odom,
Miss,
Vicki,
Mr,
Fennell,
Craig
to
old
and
many
others.
G
So
I
don't
want
to
go
down
that
road
of
naming
people,
but
thank
you
to
commissioner
Santiago
and
also
to
your
staff.
Thank
you
also
for
recognizing
them.
You
do
so
much
and
in
my
role
as
the
chair
of
veteran
services
anytime,
anyone
in
our
office
needs
any
support
or
help.
Everyone
is
right
there
for
us.
So
thank
you
for
all.
You
do
also,
as
a
daughter
of
a
marine
and
navy
veteran
I
was
fortunate
to
grow
up
in
a
veteran
household
in
all
of
the
positive
role
modeling.
G
Many
of
you
all
of
you
in
this
room
know
that
brings
with
it
so
I.
Also,
as
the
chair
of
veteran
services
on
the
Boston
city
council
and
committed
to
honoring
African-American,
military
and
civil
service
at
all
levels,
by
telling
their
stories
and
supporting
and
uplifting
their
contributions
to
this
country,
many
of
your
contributions
and
sacrifices
unfortunately
have
gone
unnoticed.
G
I
know
that
also
before
I
became
a
city,
councilor
I
spent
over
20
years
as
a
Boston,
Public
School
teacher,
and
it
wasn't
always
easy
to
find
the
stories
or
the
history
that
we
know
we
need
to
teach
our
children
and
I've
always
said
that
we
need
to
make
sure
we're
not
just
teaching
it
during
February
that
we're
teaching
it
all
year
and
I
always
wondered
why
we
picked
the
month
where
there
was
a
school
vacation
week.
So
it
really
only
came
down
to
about
14
days
that
we
really
dedicated
that
time
in
school.
G
So
maybe
we
can
work
on
that,
but
not
today
also
some
of
the
facts
that
I
know
all
of
you
in
this
room
know.
But
it's
important
to
uplift.
43
of
our
1.3
million
men
and
women
in
active
duty
in
the
United
States
military
are
people
of
color
of
the
41.
Most
senior
yes
commanders
in
the
military,
only
two
are
black.
G
We
can
and
need
to
do
better.
Please
know
that
I'm
an
ally.
My
colleagues
here
on
the
council
are
also
an
ally
and
thank
you,
commissioner,
Santiago,
for
mentioning
president
Flynn.
When
he
was
voted
president
of
the
council.
He
that
meant
he
no
longer
could
share
committees,
so
he
was
a
little
reluctant
but
was
willing
to
give
me
the
chair
of
veteran
services,
but
has
also
been
a
wonderful
supporter
along
you
know.
This
path
I
have
because
it's
an
enormous
responsibility,
I
feel
to
make
sure.
E
G
G
G
E
F
C
Caught
him
as
family
and
like
I'm
like
no,
that's,
not
what
y'all
know
in
that
stuff
I.
Thank
you
for
your
service
yeah.
Thank
you
all
you
do.
Is
it's
really
great
to
know
that
our
city
is
really
being
served
by
people
who
not
only
have
served
this
city
but
have
served
this
country,
and
so
we
are
grateful
for
you,
commissioner,
grateful
for
your
leadership
in
every
way,
great
thing
for
the
talent
and
the
diversity
that
and
he
brings
to
the
city,
and
we
will
get
my
name
at
some
point.
C
B
C
I
just
wanted
to
thank
you
all
for
your
service,
so
many
people
in
this
country,
so
many
of
us
we
have
our
freedoms
because
of
that,
the
sacrifice
that
you
all
make
and
too
often,
especially
for
our
black
veterans,
you
fight
for
this
country
in
this
country,
doesn't
fight
for
you,
and
it
is
incredibly
important
that
we
put
our
energy
and
our
time
to
all
of
you,
because
I
wouldn't
be
here.
My
story.
Would
it
be
possible?
C
The
freedoms
that
I
experienced
whether
I'm,
here
or
traveling
abroad,
would
not
be
possible
if
you
all
haven't
paved
the
way
with
people
like
my
cousin
people,
like
the
the
commissioner,
people
like
council
president
at
Flynn,
so
I.
Thank
you
all
for
your
service.
Like
put
Laureate
Lily,
you
know,
Neil
I,
see
you
hello,
I,
wanna,
I,
wanna,
I
wanna.
Thank
you
all
for
your
service
and
I
also
want
to
apologize.
I.
C
F
F
H
Thank
you
all
of
our
veterans,
all
of
our
service
members
I,
want
to
thank
commissioner
Santiago
and
the
entire
team
at
the
Boston
Veterans
Services
for
organizing
the
annual
black
veterans,
appreciation
brunch
in
the
work
that
you
do
every
day
to
honor
and
support
our
veterans
in
the
city
of
Boston.
Thank
you.
H
Growing
Black
History
Month
our
office.
You
know
every
day
you
know
me
and
my
team.
We
acknowledge
the
legacy
of
black
Boston
and,
coincidentally
yesterday,
our
office
acknowledged
General
gordine
and
his
life,
his
legacy
and
his
work.
So
I'm
also,
you
know
happy
to
hear
that
in
2023
you
know
that
that
part
that
it
acknowledges
and
it
memorializes
General
Gordon
as
well
as
African-American
veterans,
stood
up.
H
The
first
hand
would
just
like
to
have
family
members
dedicate
their
lives.
Sacrifice
for
the
betterment
of
us
all
and
I'm
committed
to
making
sure
that,
in
my
role,
that
we're
supporting
all
black
residents
in
the
city
of
Boston
and
that
we're
making
a
priority
to
make
sure
that
we're
doing
our
best
to
open
our
doors
and
create
supports
and
work
in
Partnership
to
support
our
black
veterans.
H
E
H
F
Thank
you
Frank
for
those
kind
words.
I
will
say
that
last
week,
Frank
and
I
we
met
in
his
office
and
we
talked
about
how
we
could
collaborate
and
help
each
other
to
honor
our
veterans
to
our
office,
community
and
I'm.
Looking
very
much
looking
forward
to
working
with
you
Frank,
and
it's
going
to
be
a
great
great
ride.
B
B
Refer
to
counselors
and
Murphy,
it
is
an
honor
to
serve
alongside
you.
I
and
I
will
also
Echo
the
thanks
to
city
council
president
Flynn,
who
is
speaking
on
behalf
of
all
of
Boston
and
DC
in
the
next
couple
days
and
district
attorney
Hayden.
Thank
you
for
all
that
you
do
and
for
the
partnership
that
we
have.
B
B
We
say
thank
you
for
your
service
throughout
the
year
as
we
should,
but
it
is
at
this
event
in
particular,
and
of
the
commemorations
when
we
are
gathered
in
spaces
like
Carter,
post
or
gordine
park,
that
that
phrase
really
takes
on
layers
of
depth
and
meaning
service
when
it
comes
to
our
veterans
of
color,
but
especially
our
black
veterans,
our
African-American
veterans,
who
fought
we're
Envision
in
an
ideal
of
freedom
and
Liberation.
That
was
not
the
reality
at
home.
B
B
The
awardees
speak
for
themselves.
What
more
can
we
add,
except
to
thank
you
for
giving
us
the
honor
of
allowing
us
to
recognize
you
with
all
of
the
incredible
leadership
and
and
dedication
and
contributions
that
you
have
already
made
Lieutenant
Colonel
Henson
in
your
work
at
the
justice
department
and
in
your
ongoing
mentorship
of
Young
Folks
at
the
daraotc
program
at
Excel,
High
I've
seen
the
the
sternness
that
comes
out
of
love
for
making.
E
E
B
And
the
the
love
that
you
pour
into
this,
and
so
whether
it
is
outside
a
VFW
Post
or
at
one
of
our
parades,
leaving
from
City
Hall
Plaza
and
showing
the
world
what
it
means
and
having
our
young
people
represented
in
that
ideal
of
service.
Thank
you
for
all
that
you
do
to
keep
the
Next
Generation
coming
up
behind
us.
B
Miss
Lillian
O'neal
we
are
so
blessed
to
not
only
have
your
example
and
your
legacy
of
service,
but
the
gift
of
your
words
as
a
poet.
Thank
you.
Every
time
I
see
Miss
O'neill
I,
keep
saying
we
all
need
to
make
sure
she
is
published,
as
of
and
to
have
your
book
of
poems
and
poetry
forever.
As
an
example
for
us
I'm
going
to
continue
working
on
that
alongside
you
and
your
family.
B
The
family
and
loved
ones
of
of
Edward
o
gordine
to
ensure
that
the
city
of
Boston,
right
in
the
heart
of
our
city,
will
forever
have
a
space
and
a
permanent
dedication
so
that
we
can
hold
up
the
example
of
not
only
one
of
the
preeminent
examples.
But
all
African-American
veterans
in
our
in
our
country
and
I
am
I.
Think
I'm
I
may
be
holding
up
the
way
of
getting
to
the
specialty
of
Mr
Kenneth
Perry.
C
B
B
So
from
our
nourishment
in
the
form
of
food
or
poetry
or
mentorship,
we
are
so
grateful
and
so
thankful
of
all
the
ways
that
you
pour
into
our
community.
Congratulations
and
our
city
is
incredibly
stronger
and
richer
because
of
you.
I
want
to
make
one
final
acknowledgment
today
of
the
keynote
speaker,
Mr
Stephen
Boyd,
who
made
history
last
year
as
both
the
first
black
service
member
to
be
awarded
the
rank
of
Chief
Warrant
Officer,
five
and.
B
I
think
many
of
us
in
this
room
know
and
have
lived
that
often
being
the
first
to
me
that
in
many
rooms,
you're
also
the
only
and
so
thank
you
to
all
those
in
this
room
for
ensuring
that
that
is
not
that
we
are
constantly
changing
that
fact
and
pushing
open
the
door
for
all
those
who
are
following
in
your
footsteps.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
your
service.
It
is
an
honor
to
represent
you
all
to
be
here
with
you
today.
F
Oh,
thank
you
mayor,
I
will
say
something
about
Mary
I.
Remember
a
couple
of
years
ago
we
were
walking
the
the
round
of
the
Veterans
Day
Parade,
and
she
at
the
time
was
a
mayor
left.
She
had
her
two
young
kids
with
her.
She
was
able
to
still
you
know,
wave
at
the
crowd,
handshake
talk
to
people
and
still
ask
me
questions
about
what
it
needs
to
be
done
in
the
adventures
community.