The film, Veterans of Color, preserves the voices of local African-American veterans.

ST. PETERSBURG – The James Weldon Johnson Community Library will hold a screening and discussion of the film Veterans of Color on Saturday (Nov. 5).

Created by the Manasota chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the film preserves the voices of African American veterans from nearby communities.

After the film presentation, a panel of local St. Petersburg veterans who served during wars will share their own stories of courage, adversity and triumph in a live discussion format moderated by Gwendolyn Reese, representative of the African American Heritage Association of St. Petersburg.

This event is the third in a series of programs featuring local veterans of color. Locally produced this film was a response to the U.S. Congress Veterans Project initiative to preserve and make accessible personal accounts of American war veterans to enable future generations to hear directly from the veterans the realities of their experience.

The program is free and open to the public from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Johnson Community Library is at 1059 18th Ave. S. 

For information, contact the Johnson Library at (727) 893-7113.

This program as a part of the St. Petersburg Library System’s Community Development Initiative, a method to enhance the provision of resources, services, and programs focused on the education, economy, ecology, equity, efficiency and engagement of the community.

The main photo shows African-Americans, members of 369th Colored Infantry, waving from a troop ship as they arrive back in New York City. The regiment was nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters and the Black Rattlers. Ca. 1919.

The other photo shows two women decorating a soldier’s grave on Memorial Day 1943 in one of the African-American sections of Arlington National Cemetery.

Veterans Day | Veterans of Color | Film | James Weldon Library | TB Reporter

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