The Victory Monument in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood honors the all-Black Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard. Later known as the 370th Infantry, these soldiers fought valiantly under French command in World War I. Erected in 1927 and later enhanced with a bronze “doughboy” statue in 1936, the monument features granite reliefs depicting battles, symbols of victory, and a Black infantryman. It lists the names of 137 fallen soldiers and commemorates the regiment’s heroism, which earned them 21 Distinguished Service Crosses and 68 French Croix de Guerre. As the only state-sponsored WWI memorial dedicated to Black American soldiers, the monument continues to be a centerpiece of remembrance during Memorial Day events and serves as a lasting testament to the patriotism and sacrifice of Black servicemen from Bronzeville and beyond.

Original Photograph by James Edward Mills

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.

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During World War I, the Bronzeville Armory in Chicago played a crucial role as a center of Black military organization and community pride. Located in the heart of the city's thriving African American neighborhood, the armory was home to the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard—the first all-Black regiment officially recognized by the U.S. Army. When the U.S. entered the war, this regiment became the 370th Infantry, composed largely of Black soldiers from Chicago. The armory served not only as a training ground but also as a powerful symbol of Black patriotism, resilience, and civic contribution during a time of widespread racial segregation. Despite facing discrimination, these troops trained with determination and later fought with distinction under French command in Europe. The Bronzeville Armory thus stood as both a military facility and a cultural landmark, representing the hope and determination of a community striving for equality through service.

Original Photograph by Kris Graves

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History.

The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.

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On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Frederick Douglass delivered his searing speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” His eloquent words exposed the hypocrisy of a nation that celebrated liberty while millions remained enslaved. Invited to commemorate America’s independence, Douglass instead challenged his audience to confront the deep contradictions of a country that proclaimed freedom but denied it to Black Americans. He praised the Founding Fathers for their revolutionary courage but made clear that their ideals had not been extended to enslaved people. “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine,” he declared, calling the celebration a sham in the face of human bondage. With passionate rhetoric and moral clarity, Douglass condemned the injustice of slavery and urged his fellow citizens to live up to the true meaning of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. His speech remains a powerful critique of American democracy and its unfulfilled promise.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History.

The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.

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Gwendolyn Brooks was a groundbreaking American poet whose work captured the joys, struggles, and beauty of Black life, particularly in Chicago’s South Side community of Bronzeville. Born in 1917, she began writing poetry at a young age and published her first poem at 13. Her 1949 collection, Annie Allen, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, making her the first African American to receive the honor. Brooks’s writing was celebrated for its technical mastery and emotional depth, exploring themes of racial identity, poverty, motherhood, and resilience. Deeply rooted in community, she engaged directly with young writers and activists during the Civil Rights and Black Arts movements, later serving as Illinois’ poet laureate and the Poet Laureate of the United States. Her work, including We Real Cool and The Bean Eaters, remains vital and influential. Brooks used poetry not only as an art form, but as a means of bearing witness and inspiring change.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History.

The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.

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The Yosemite Act of 1864 was a landmark piece of legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Signed on June 30th the new law granted the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to the state of California, with the stipulation that the land be preserved for “public use, resort, and recreation.” This act marked the first time in U.S. history that the federal government set aside land specifically for public enjoyment and conservation, laying the groundwork for the national park system. Though Yosemite would not become a national park until 1890, the 1864 act recognized the inherent value of protecting natural landscapes from private development. The land was to be managed by the state, which set a precedent for future federal conservation efforts. The Yosemite Act is often seen as a foundational moment in the American environmental movement, reflecting a growing national appreciation for scenic wilderness and natural heritage.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History.

The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold narratives that are too often left out of the stories we share about our common national heritage.

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Located on Chicago’s South Side, Bronzeville is one of the most historically significant Black communities in the United States. Often called the "Black Metropolis," Bronzeville thrived in the early to mid-20th century as a vibrant center of Black American culture, business, and political life. Following the Great Migration, thousands of Black families moved north from the Jim Crow South, settling in Bronzeville and building a self-sustaining community rich with jazz clubs, newspapers, churches, and entrepreneurs. Landmarks like the Supreme Life Insurance Company and the Chicago Defender newspaper played key roles in shaping national Black identity. The neighborhood also fostered the talents of icons like poet Gwendolyn Brooks, musician Louis Armstrong, and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells. Though urban renewal and disinvestment led to periods of decline, recent revitalization efforts have aimed to honor and preserve Bronzeville’s legacy as a cornerstone of Black cultural and historical achievement in America.

The Bronzeville National Historic Site was established by the United States Congress in 2023 as unit of the National Park Service. The bronze statue in this post Monument to the Great Northern Migration was sculpted by Alison Saar and dedicated in 1994. This depiction of a traveler is a testament to the thousands of Black Americans who migrated to Chicago in the early 20th century. In search of greater freedom and opportunity, the traveler’s hand is raised in salutation to his new home. In his other hand he carries a worn suitcase symbolic of his journey, dreams and talents. The bollards surrounding the monument are also suitcases that are textured with a pattern derived from the pressed tin ceilings of the era. The figure is oriented to the north, symbolizing the traveler’s destination. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_s_publicart-alisonsaarsmonumenttothegreatnorthernmigrati.html

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History.

The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.

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In 1887, members of the 9th Cavalry Regiment—known as Buffalo Soldiers—intervened to protect a band of Ute Indians. These Native Americans had fled into Utah after tensions escalated with white settlers and the Colorado state militia. The Utes had left the White River Reservation in Colorado, fearing violent retribution and encroachment on their lands. In response, the Colorado militia pursued them, intent on forcing their return or provoking conflict. The U.S. Army, recognizing the potential for bloodshed and the questionable legality of the militia’s actions, dispatched Black American troops of the 9th Cavalry to intercept the militia and deescalate the situation, preventing a deadly confrontation. Their disciplined conduct and calm presence upheld federal authority and protected the Ute families. This little-known episode highlights the complex role Black soldiers played in both enforcing and sometimes tempering U.S. Indian policy during the western expansion.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates Black History Month.

The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black American history.

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In 1887, Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry were stationed at Fort Douglas, near Salt Lake City, Utah. They were part of the U.S. Army’s broader efforts to secure western territories during the post-Civil War era. These Black American troops, many of them formerly enslaved, were among the most disciplined units in the frontier army. The performed with distinction and honor. At Fort Douglas, their duties included escorting settlers, protecting stagecoach routes, and maintaining order in a region marked by tensions between Native American nations and expanding white settlements.

Their presence at Fort Douglas reflected both the racial contradictions of the time—Black soldiers enforcing federal policy on lands taken from Indigenous peoples—and their critical role in shaping the early development of the American West. Despite facing racial prejudice from local citizens and within the Army itself, the Buffalo Soldiers earned a reputation for professionalism, endurance, and bravery in some of the harshest conditions in the West.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold and often hidden stories of our shared national heritage.

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The origins of Memorial Day are deeply rooted in Black American history, though this is often overlooked in mainstream narratives. On May 1, 1865, just weeks after the Civil War ended, over 10,000 formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina, held a procession to honor Union soldiers who had died in a Confederate prison camp and were buried in a mass grave. Black residents exhumed the bodies, gave them proper burials, and organized what is widely considered the first large-scale Memorial Day commemoration.

The event included prayers, singing, readings, and the laying of flowers—hallmarks of modern observances. This early expression of collective mourning and patriotism was both a tribute to the sacrifices of Black and white Union soldiers and a declaration of Black Americans' rightful place in the national story. Over time, this origin was forgotten or suppressed as Memorial Day evolved into a national holiday with different regional and political meanings. But the contributions of Black American to this annual celebration continue to resonate through the present day.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

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The Greensboro lunch counter protests of 1960 marked a pivotal moment in the American Civil Rights Movement. On February 1, 1960, four Black American college students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University — Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil — sat down at a "whites-only" lunch counter at the Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, North Carolina. Refused service, they remained seated in a peaceful protest against racial segregation. Their courageous action sparked a wave of similar sit-ins across the South, as thousands of students joined in, demanding equal rights and the end of segregation in public spaces. The Greensboro sit-ins led to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or (SNCC), which became a key organization in the Civil Rights Movement. The protests ultimately contributed to the desegregation of Woolworth’s and other establishments, demonstrating the power of nonviolent resistance and youth activism.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute