In honor of African American Heritage month, Training Manager Theodore Dues welcomed the Charleston, WV, Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club to Charleston Job Corps Feb. 25th. The Buffalo Soldiers shared a video presentation about the history of the Buffalo soldiers with staff and students at Charleston Job Corps Center followed by a short question and answer session. The Charleston, WV, Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers is a philanthropic organization that undertakes many volunteer community service projects and financially supports charities and scholarships.
The group also is dedicated to educating others about the racism, sacrifices and hardships the Buffalo soldiers of the 9th and the 10th U.S. Cavalries endured.
Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, six all-black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front.