Ceremony at Statehouse to honor Buffalo Soldiers
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TOPEKA (AP) -- A ceremony has been scheduled for Sept. 17 at the Kansas Statehouse to honor Buffalo Soldiers.
That was the name given to all-black Army cavalry by the Cheyenne tribe, whose members had not seen African-American soldiers before.
The ceremony, organized by the Kansas Fever Committee, will occur on the 140th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Arikaree, in eastern Colorado, pitting the Army against the Plains Indians.
A painting depicting the Buffalo Soldiers will be on display during the ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
Kansas Fever Committee Press Release To: All Media Outlets Subject: Celebration of the 140th Anniversary Battle of Arikaree Heroes From: Kansas Fever Committee/Exoduster Awareness/Votaw Colony Museum Topeka, KS……………… Wednesday September 17, 2008 @ 11: a.m. Kansas State Capitol. Program to celebrate the 140th Anniversary of the Battle of Arikaree and the courage, valor and honor of the Buffalo Soldiers. A portrait of the Buffalo Soldiers, painted in 1994 by Kansas’s artist George Mayfield will be on display during the program. Sen. James H. Lane began organizing the First Kansas Colored in August 1862. They fought in several Civil War battles, including the Battle of Honey Springs on July 17, 1863. Towards the end of the Civil War, the First Kansas Colored soldiers disbanded and some joined the ranks of the Buffalo Soldiers (Rough Riders). According to Scroggins, the First Kansas Colored fought the battle just outside the back door of his childhood home in Chectoah Oklahoma. Beginning in 1996, Scroggins has reenacted the role of James Whitfield Ross, a First Kansas Colored soldier, and other Civil War Figures. He even represented the First Kansas Colored as a flag bearer at a 1998-dedication ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. That same year, state legislators passed a resolution endorsing the idea of a mural of the First Kansas Colored at the Capitol. In 2010, the First Kansas Colored mural will be added to the walls of the State Capitol. Kansas Statue regarding the Mural for the 1st Kansas Colored: 75-2264. Plans for mural in the capitol honoring the 1st Kansas (Colored) Voluntary Infantry regiment. (a) The Kansas state historical society and the department of administration shall develop plans to place a mural in the capitol honoring the 1st Kansas (Colored) Voluntary Infantry regiment. Such plans shall be developed in consultation with the joint committee on arts and cultural resources. (b) On or before January 1, 2002, the plans developed pursuant to subsection (a) shall be submitted to the joint committee on arts and cultural resources. History: L. 2000, ch. 110, § 4; July 1. Participants on the 2008 program are: Mistress of Ceremony Juanita Jackson, Pastor of the New Level Outreach Ministry of Kansas City Missouri; Greetings by Sonny Scroggins; Welcome by Kevin Scroggins; Keynote Speaker Pastor Joseph Strickland of Mission Church in Kansas City, Kansas; The Honorable Kansas Senator Derek Schmidt; The Honorable Sergeant Majors Steve Rodina and Debbie Carlson; the Kansas National Color Guard; Kansas State Architect Barry Greis, Civil War Soldier James Whitfield Ross’ descendant, Mary Brooks, a Topeka Educator and 8th Season American Idol Tryout Raneshia Briggs of Kansas City, MO will sing. Announcements include: Major Kansas Exoduster Migration (1879-2009) Commemorative Film by Filmmakers Stinson McClendon and Joseph Strickland in honor of 130th anniversary, 8/1879-8/2009 Exoduster Movement; National Homeless & Low Income Voter Registration Week on September 21-27, 2008, and the celebration of the late Grant Cushinberry’s 87th Birthday Party in Cushinberry on Oct. 24, 2008 at 5:00pm. For more information contact Sonny Scroggins @ 785-232-3761; 845-6148; biasbustersofkansas@yahoo.com
(Posted by: sonny scroggins)
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