Scott’s View: Black History Month 2020
February is Black History Month, and today we want to recognize New York City’s Veterans’ Affairs Commissioner James Hendon. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the Commissioner over the last few months and am so impressed with his dedication, commitment, and leadership in representing and advocating for NYC’s 210,000 veterans, who are in great hands with this West Point graduate and fellow U.S. Army soldier!
With history as a backdrop this month, we also recognize Doris Miller, the first African American to receive the Navy Cross for valor in combat. We remember him for his heroism during the World War II attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
A mess attendant on the battleship West Virginia, Miller tended to wounded shipmates after it was hit by enemy fire on December 7, 1941. And although he had no formal training, he manned a .50 caliber machine gun to battle oncoming Japanese planes that day.
The Navy will also name a new aircraft carrier after Miller, the first aircraft carrier named for an African American! We are grateful for Miller’s service to our country, and wish his surviving family the very best.
Milestones such as these remind us of the historical significance of how diversity is such a strength of our nation. As we recognize great African-Americans such as Hendon and Miller during this month, let us all be grateful for the freedoms we enjoy today because of them.
