Five Marines from High Point will be recognized by the city council and a local museum for their service, and for their roles in breaking the race barrier in the military.
Racial discrimination in the military was banned in 1941. But the Black Marine recruits who began training the following year at Montford Point in North Carolina faced segregation and brutal conditions.
Tammy Williamson served in the Marines and now oversees the Triad and Triangle division. She says her work honoring these men is more urgent than ever.
“A lot of them have left this world not knowing the impact the impact they had," she said. "We’re looking at they’re in their 90s now. So, that’s why it’s so important that we reach as many people as we can because the onesies and twozies that are still living, they’re slipping away each day.”
On February 25th at the High Point Museum, five High Point marines will be celebrated: Private William Spencer Sr., Corporal James R. Burke Sr., Corporal R. Gilmore Sr., Private First Class George H. Garlington Sr., and Corporal Darious McCoy.