The Presidio of San Francisco has many stories to uncover from its nearly 250 years of history, but perhaps none have been more mythologized than those of the Buffalo Soldiers. These men - members of all-Black U.S. Army regiments who passed through the city’s ports, were garrisoned on post, and even buried at the Presidio’s National Cemetery - have left an enduring impact on California.

Please join Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) on Thursday May 4, 2023 at 6:00pm to learn more about the surprising history of these segregated regiments during a virtual presentation by Susan D. Anderson, History Curator and Program Manager of the California African American Museum (CAAM). She curated an exhibition at CAAM in 2022 called "For Race and Country: Buffalo Soldiers in California," which confronted the role of Black soldiers in the Army’s history of violence against Native American peoples, explored historical debates in the Black community over participation in American wars, and exposed cracks in a society permeated by racism.

Anderson will highlight the Black soldiers and their families who made California home during an era of government-sanctioned racial segregation in the U.S. military. There is no better way to commemorate the start of National Military Appreciation Month than by pushing beyond enduring myths with Anderson and finding critical statewide context to an essential San Francisco story - all from the comfort of your own home.

Please register through Eventbrite. This one-hour Zoom program is online only and will include time for Q&A. The program is free with a suggested donation of $10; donations are split evenly between WNP and Susan Anderson.