By Jessica Dillon
The Fayette Area Historical Initiative (FAHI) has unveiled a new exhibit, “A Tribute to African American Military Excellence,” highlighting the contributions and sacrifices of African American service members throughout U.S. history.
The exhibit, curated by Charisse Hairston, was created as part of efforts to commemorate America’s upcoming 250th anniversary and to recognize the role African Americans have played in the nation’s military.
“The museum is celebrating African American representation in the military through the ages,” Hairston said. “We start in the front with the units instead of going to Civil War. We also have a bibliography of books and movies that talk about these units.”
The exhibit features information about military units as well as local veterans who served in conflicts ranging from World War I to Vietnam.
“In these cases, you’re actually going to see people that have served in the military who were from here — World War I veterans, World War II veterans, Vietnam, and Korean,” Hairston said. “But something else we’re trying to do is collect that history. So anyone that comes in is a veteran or they have family that’s a veteran, we’re asking them to complete a form and return it back to us.”
Flags representing each branch of the U.S. military are displayed throughout the museum.
Hairston said inspiration for the exhibit came from a painting depicting four American military figures: Lt. Col. Dr. Dana Baldwin, Sgt. Floyd Hairston, Lt. Col. Armor G. McDaniel and Gen. Dennis Via.
“Dr. Baldwin started the Homer Dillard Post,” Hairston said. “Homer Dillard was the first African American soldier to be killed during World War I. Now, he didn’t actually see combat. He died due to a virus, which is what Dr. Baldwin went to World War I to treat. But that’s why the post is named after him.
“You’ll see the original members of that post. The original commander is Walter Reynolds, who’s a World War I veteran. So all of them were World War I veterans together.”
In addition to sharing military history, Hairston said the exhibit is intended to encourage community members to help preserve local stories and artifacts.
“It’s very hard to pull together pieces, but I’m committed to uncovering and sharing history with the area,” she said. “Not too many places say they have this much authentic stuff.”
Hairston is encouraging families with military connections to contact the museum and share information about relatives who served.
“I have to dig, scrape and search to be able to get this,” she said.
Admission to the museum is free. The FAHI Museum is located at 211 Fayette St. in Uptown Martinsville.
The museum is open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Private tours are also available.
