Black veterans honored at Florian Hall ceremony

Mayor Wu chats up awardee Anthony Hinson during the Black Veterans Appreciation Brunch in Boston in February. Haiyi Bi photo

After listening closely to the keynote speakers at the seventh Black Veterans Appreciation Brunch at Florian Hall on Feb. 27, William deLuze said he had limited knowledge of military contributions from African Americans since the Revolutionary War before coming to the event. When asked about his own military experience, he said: “I was in the Marine Corps. That should tell it all.”

DeLuze was one of roughly 200 people who attended the event, which was organized by the city’s Office of Veterans’ Services and set up to honor three local veterans for their services to Boston and acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of Black men and women in the nation’s armed services.

“We’re not teaching our kids [the African-American history] only in February … We’re teaching it all year,” said City Councillor Erin Murphy, who chairs the council’s Veteran, Military Families and Military Affairs Committee.

A former Boston public school teacher, Murphy (and others) said the stories and history of African American veterans are not easy to find to teach. “We need to keep these stories alive, and we need to show our gratitude,” said Robert Santiago, commissioner of the Office of Veterans Services.

The honorees were Anthony Hinson, a retired lieutenant colonel and the Excel High School JROTC senior army instructor; Lillian O’Neal, poet and auxiliary Army member; and Kenneth Perry, who was a chef in the Marine Corps.

Slowly walking up to the stage and proudly standing in front of the microphone, O’Neal expressed her excitement and praised the soldiers.

“The most important thing in my writing is giving back, like soldiers that never made it as long and never get the recognition they deserve,” said O’Neal, who was recognized for a poem about veterans stamps in the Korean War. “Thank you for the courage you give, thank you for giving back. Though you’re not recognized when you finish your service, you’re recognized here in my heart.”

David Chang of Belmont said it was his fourth time attending the annual brunch. He said that he wanted to represent the Chinese community and recognize the African American veterans’ for their service.

“The veterans became less and less connected. This event is good to gather them together,” said Chang, who is a member of the American Legion Post 328 in Chinatown.

There are more than 2 million African American veterans across the nation, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, according to a study entitled “Discretionary Injustice,” African American veterans are much more likely than white veterans to bear the stigma of a less than honorable discharge.

Mayor Michelle Wu, who attended the brunch, used the occasion to stress that recognizing “the additional barriers to tackle housing and homeownership” is important in closing the racial wealth gap.

“This is a really important community building event, where people who are in this room now represent all sorts of initiatives,” she said in an interview. “It’s a very rich tapestry of all of the advocacy represented in all different spaces in the city, even though this is a veterans event.”

This story was published as part of a collaboration with Boston University’s School of Journalism in the College of Communication. The student journalist is a member of a Reporting in Depth class taught by former Boston Globe reporter Meghan Irons.


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