New York Black History

New York Black History Author and Historian Rita Fuller-Yates takes us on a journey to discover New York's Black History!

07/04/2026

“What the people want is very simple. They want an America as good as its promise.” – Reflecting on the aspiration for a just and fair society. (Barbara Jordan)

FYI
03/12/2026

FYI

01/23/2026

SLAVERY EXHIBITS AT PRESIDENT'S HOUSE IN PHILADELPHIA REMOVED
AFTER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
DIRECTIVE

The 369th Infantry Regiment, the legendary “Harlem Hellfighters” of World War I fame, was the first all-Black combat uni...
12/23/2025

The 369th Infantry Regiment, the legendary “Harlem Hellfighters” of World War I fame, was the first all-Black combat unit assigned to a technical role in the U.S. military. In January 1941, the revitalized 369th was federalized at Fort Ontario in Oswego. Eight months of training on the latest airplane detection equipment and anti-aircraft weapons began there. Its successful conversion to Anti-Aircraft Artillery service was a first step towards desegregation of the armed forces in 1948.

Although the 369th enjoyed good relations with the city’s nearly all-white citizens, a Black soldier was falsely accused of a crime by a white woman and “railroaded to prison in true cracker style.” This prejudicial action resulted in a silent boycott of merchants by the regiment and was reported in Black newspapers nationwide. Mostly forgotten today, it foreshadowed later civilian actions such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott.



By Paul Lear, Historic Site Manager at Fort Ontario

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Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Brooklyn
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11220

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