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The Intercept
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Intercept
Trump Could Use Sacred Native Land for a Monument to… Columbus
A provision buried deep in the House budget bill allocates $40 million toward President Donald Trump's plan for a vast garden of larger-than-life statues — and it could get built on sacred Native land. The House version of the budget reconciliation bill passed last month contains funding for Trump's proposed National Garden of American Heroes, which would lionize figures ranging from Andrew Jackson to Harriet Tubman. While the garden does not have an official location yet, one candidate is minutes from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the iconic carvings of presidential faces in South Dakota's Black Hills. Trump first announced his plan for a national statue garden during a July 4, 2020, address at Mount Rushmore in response to the racial justice protesters toppling Confederate statues. 'I'm quite sure that Harriet Tubman would not be pleased.' The potential statue garden site near Mount Rushmore belongs to an influential South Dakotan mining family that has offered to donate the land, an offer that has support from the state's governor. The Black Hills, however, are sacred land to the region's Indigenous peoples, and its ownership following a U.S. treaty violation is contested. One Native activist decried the idea of building another monument in the mountain range. 'I'm quite sure,' said Taylor Gunhammer, an organizer with the NDN Collective and citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, 'that Harriet Tubman would not be pleased that people trying to build the statue of her on stolen Lakota land have apparently learned nothing from her.' Trump's vision has had a rocky road to realization. Trump's announcement was meant to offer his own competing vision to the activists who sought to remove statues — by force or by politics — of figures like Andrew Jackson or Confederate generals. In one of the final acts of his first term, he issued a list of potential figures that alternately baffled, delighted or outraged observers. They included divisive — but inarguably historic — figures such as Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act that began the Trail of Tears. Also listed, however, were unexpected choices such as Canadian-born 'Jeopardy' host Alex Trebek, who was naturalized in 1998. Some of the names never got American citizenship at all — including Christopher Columbus. Joe Biden canceled the idea after taking the presidency, but Trump quickly revived it after his second inauguration. The National Endowment for the Humanities was placed in charge of commissioning artists, who are required to craft 'classical' statues in marble, granite, bronze, copper, or brass and barred from abstract or modernist styles. The statue-making process has drawn its own skeptics about whether Trump can fulfill a vision of having the garden ready by July 4, 2026, the nation's 250th birthday. The process of selecting a site and building Trump's vision of a 'vast outdoor park' in time could be just as daunting, however. The Interior Department declined to comment on the site selection process, with a spokesperson saying that the garden was still in the 'planning and discussion phase.' 'We are judiciously implementing the President's Executive Order and will provide additional information as it becomes available,' spokesperson J. Elizabeth Peace said. One of the few publicly known site candidates emerged in March, when Republican South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden issued a press release flagging the Black Hills as a potential location. In his announcement, he noted that the Lien family of Rapid City, South Dakota, had already offered land it owns near Mount Rushmore. The Lien family, which has major interests in South Dakota mining projects, is also developing a theme park resort in Rapid City and a lodge nearby in the Black Hills. The family owns dozens of acres near the historic Doane Robinson tunnel, which offers motorists a framed view of Mount Rushmore. The vision of another monument in the Black Hills, however, would place South Dakota politicians on a collision course with some Native tribal members who have long lamented the creation of Mount Rushmore. The Lakota Sioux called the mountain the Six Grandfathers and ventured to it for prayer and devotion, according to National Geographic. The entire Black Hills were sacred ground for the Lakota and other tribes. The Black Hills were promised to the Oceti Sakowin peoples as part of a Great Sioux Reservation in an 1868 treaty, but the U.S. government broke its promise when gold was discovered there. 'The fact that it was built in the Black Hills was not an accident or happenstance.' The Oceti Sakowin Oyate, commonly known as the Sioux Nation, won a 1980 Supreme Court case finding that they had been wrongfully deprived of the land. They rejected the court's finding that they should receive monetary compensation and continued to seek return of the land. (Several tribes involved in the case did not respond to requests for comment about the proposed statue garden.) Some Indigenous people in South Dakota see the carved faces on Mount Rushmore as a defacement of land that rightfully belongs to them. 'The fact that it was built in the Black Hills was not an accident or happenstance,' Gunhammer said. 'It is representative of the exact colonial presence that the settler colonial project has always been trying to have in the Black Hills.' Mount Rushmore is a point of pride for other South Dakotans, as well as an economic boon. Sam Brannan, a Lien family member who supports the project, said she was hopeful that the White House would take them up on their offer to build another patriotic attraction nearby. 'We're just honored and hopeful that they will consider our site,' she said. 'The people they have selected are amazing. I hope everybody goes through those 250 names. They are very representative of the United States.' The statue garden proposal comes at the same time as a family-owned company, Pete Lien and Sons, seeks to conduct exploratory drilling for graphite in the Black Hills near Pe' Sla, another sacred ceremonial site for the Lakota. Gunhammer has been active in organizing tribal members against the proposed mining activity, which would happen on U.S. Forest Service land. 'The same company trying to build this national hero garden in order to preserve history is currently trying to undertake a project that destroys history for everyone,' he said. 'The same company trying to build this national hero garden in order to preserve history is currently trying to undertake a project that destroys history for everyone.' Brannan referred questions about the mining project to Pete Lien and Sons, which did not respond to a request for comment sent through its website. With regards to the national garden, Brannan said that Native tribes have not been consulted on the family's offer yet. 'Why would we? It's been privately held for 60 years,' she said. Still, Brannan said the tribes could be consulted if the project advances. She said no one organization can claim to speak for all the Lakota people, and that her family maintains warm relations with Native leaders. 'We have been in mining for 80 years in the Black Hills, so we have been great neighbors to the Lakotans here,' she said, referring to one of the subgroups that makes up the Oceti Sakowin people. In a statement, Josie Harms, the press secretary for the South Dakota governor, noted that the potential list of figures to be honored includes Native leaders such as Sitting Bull, the Lakota leader who defeated George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 'The tract of land in question is private property owned by Chuck Lien and his family,' said Harms, referring to the family patriarch who died in 2018. 'As a result, it will cause no disruption to either state or tribal land. As a federal project, the state will be a partner with the federal government as it seeks to comply with its regulations or consultation, as needed.' The Trump administration has yet to detail how it will select the site for the statue garden, although numerous states and counties pitched the Interior Department five years ago. Brannan said it was her understanding that more than 20 sites are being considered. Her family has not had direct contact with the Trump administration, she said. One factor in the Black Hills site's favor is that the garden is gaining momentum at a high-water mark for the political influence of the twin Great Plains states of North and South Dakota. Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who first championed the idea, is serving as Trump's Homeland Security secretary. South Dakota Sen. John Thune is the upper chamber's majority leader. Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is serving as the secretary of the Interior Department, the executive tapped with finding the location for the garden. South Dakota's lone U.S. representative, Dusty Johnson — like Noem, Thune, and Burgum, a Republican — told The Intercept that the Black Hills have a strong shot. He has been pushing the idea with the Trump administration. 'I don't want to speak for the administration, other than I would tell you every conversation I have had with them, they understand the value of this particular parcel, and that they are going to give the Black Hills of South Dakota a full and complete look,' he said. 'We're going to have a real chance to win.' The House's plan to spend tens of millions of dollars on the garden is laid out in the same reconciliation bill that would kick 11 million people off health insurance, according to a recent Congressional Budget Office estimate. To make it into law, the spending provision would have to win Senate approval. Thune's office didn't respond to a request for comment. The House bill does not specify whether the money should be spent on the site or the statues. Money from hundreds of National Endowment for the Humanities grants that the Trump administration canceled could be redirected to pay for the statues, the New York Times reported in April. The National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts have jointly committed $34 million for the project, including $30 million from this year's budget for the statues. Some of the National Endowment for the Humanities grants that were canceled would have supported Native cultural projects in South Dakota. The roster of grants killed includes $60,000 for an anthology of Lakota and Dakota literature in translation and $205,000 for an Oglala language archiving project, according to a list maintained by the Association for Computers and the Humanities.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
These 10 Historical Figures Are on U.S. Money. Here's When Harriet Tubman Will Join Them
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: American currency as we know it today has been in circulation since 1792. Founding Fathers, past presidents, and a selection of other notable historical figures appear on the country's paper bills and coins. There are ongoing efforts to add women like Harriet Tubman and Eleanor Roosevelt to U.S. money. The history of U.S. currency and the many distinguished individuals featured on American paper bills and coins is a long, winding road. Upon its founding in 1776, the United States had what was known as Continental currency in circulation for many years. Nearly two decades later, in April 1792, the U.S. dollar was created as the official American currency. The fictional Lady Liberty was the main symbol on U.S. coins at the time, but in 1909, Abraham Lincoln became the first U.S. president to appear on American money. Founding Fathers and other deceased presidents, including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, have since joined him. In recent years, the general public has taken an interest diversifying the people depicted on their money. New designs are being considered for cash and coins to represent a wider breadth of historical symbols and figures who have helped define America. While Harriet Tubman's portrait is set to be the new face of the $20 bill (a rollout that's still several years away), images of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech, Marian Anderson's 1939 opera concert at the Lincoln Memorial, and a portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt are planned for the reverse side of the new $5 bill. The Treasury has also announced suffragists Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul are expected to be featured on the reverse side of the $10 bill. Of all the redesigns, the $10 bill is expected to be the first, but it won't be ready until 2026 and will take until 2028 to be in circulation. Beyond these major redesigns, the U.S. Mint regularly releases special edition coins that often promote notable Americans. For example, the January 2025 release of the American Innovation $1 Coin, a series honoring innovation and inventors in each state, features naval engineer Raye Montague. Another series, American Women Quarters, celebrates the achievements of women, including journalist and suffragist Ida B. Wells, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low, and tennis player Althea Gibson. To help you keep track of which famous faces regularly appear on U.S. money, we've assembled a rundown of the people and unique features on standard currency, from the penny (it's not going anywhere just yet) to the $100 bill, as of this year. To mark the centennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth, the Lincoln penny was produced and issued in 1909. Designed by Victor David Brenner, it was the first U.S. coin that featured a portrait and the first to include the motto 'In God We Trust.' Two wheat stalks flanked the denomination's reverse side for decades (leading to this version's nickname, the wheat penny), along with the words 'United States of America' and the Latin phrase E Pluribus Unum, which translates as 'Out of many, one.' Since 2010, the tails side has featured the Union shield. This marks the most recent of the Lincoln penny's three major redesigns, with earlier overhauls in 1959 and 2009. This May, the U.S. Mint announced plans to stop producing new pennies, though the 1-cent coin will still be in circulation. In 1938, artist Felix Schlag won a U.S. Mint competition to redesign the five-cent coin. His entry for the Jefferson Nickel replaced the Buffalo Nickel that same year. From its initial production to today, the nickel continues to be one of the most popular coins in circulation among collectors. The obverse side, or heads side, shows President Thomas Jefferson's portrait with the inscriptions 'In God We Trust' and 'Liberty.' The reverse is a portrait of his Monticello plantation, along with the inscriptions E Pluribus Unum and 'United States of America.' In honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt's death in 1945, the Roosevelt dime was quickly secured and minted the following year. It replaced the Mercury dime, the version of the 10-cent coin that had been in circulation since 1916. Despite the fact that President Roosevelt led the nation through the Great Depression and most of World War II, the Roosevelt dime was actually issued in honor of his personal and philanthropic fight against polio, which led to the founding of the March of Dimes. Designed by Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock, the Roosevelt dime features the president's portrait with the word 'Liberty' on the left and 'In God We Trust' sitting below. The reverse side features a freedom torch surrounded by olive and oak branches, the symbols for peace and victory. As with other U.S. coins, the phrases 'United States of America' and E Pluribus Unum appear. The Washington quarter was first minted in 1932 in celebration of President George Washington's 200th birthday. The bicentennial committee originally wanted a temporary Washington half-dollar issued to honor the first president, but when Congress got involved, half-dollar plans were scrapped. Instead, the Washington quarter permanently replaced the Standing Liberty quarter. Although the committee vied for sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser's design of Washington's portrait, then–Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon ultimately got his wish and chose the design of sculptor John Flanagan. Starting in 2022, Fraser's portrait made it on the quarter at last. The design notably features Washington facing to the right instead of the left as in Flanagan's version. For decades, an eagle and an olive branch graced the quarter's back side, but since 1999, there have been a slew of reverse side designs. This has included images to honor all 50 states as well as various national parks, historic sites, and American territories. Prominent women in history—such as actor Anna May Wong, aviator Bessie Coleman, and singer Celia Cruz—have also appeared. For one year only, in 2021, the quarter's reverse side depicted a scene of Washington crossing the Delaware. John F. Kennedy became the face of the half dollar in 1964, a year after his assassination. The obverse side of the 50-cent coin features a portrait of Kennedy designed for his presidential medal, while the reverse shows the Presidential Seal. Before JFK, the coin previously portrayed Benjamin Franklin and, from 1916 to 1947, 'Walking Liberty.' Although the Kennedy half dollar was mainly produced for annual coin sets starting in the early 21st century, the U.S. Mint began ordering them for circulation again in 2021. Designed by Glenna Goodacre, the Sacagawea Golden Dollar shows the Lemhi Shoshone woman carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste. Thomas D. Rogers Sr. designed the reverse side of the coin, which features a soaring American bald eagle. Although the coin, issued from 2000 to 2008, was minted as a 'Golden Dollar,' it doesn't actually contain any of the precious metal. Other historical figures have appeared on additional versions of the dollar coin. This includes Susan B. Anthony as well as the first 41 presidents, with the exception Jimmy Carter, as part of the Presidential $1 Coin Program. Dollar coins are no longer in production, but you might still spot them (and use them!) in circulation. It wasn't until the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 that currency became standardized for the country's economic stability. By then, much of the design components of the $1 bill were already set in place—its color, borders, and phraseology—as they had long been in use. As one of the oldest U.S. currency designs still in use today, the $1 bill features an image of George Washington (based on Gilbert Stuart's Athenaeum Portrait) on the obverse, while the reverse shows the Great Seal of the United States. The design dates back to 1963, though Washington first graced the dollar in 1869. Before Abraham Lincoln's portrait first debuted on the $5 bill in 1914, seven other men secured a transitory spot on the denomination, including Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, Oncpapa Chief Running Antelope, and President James Garfield. The bill's current image of Lincoln is based on Anthony Berger's 1864 portrait of the president. In 1928, the reverse side was redesigned to feature the Lincoln Memorial after previously depicting a vignette of Christopher Columbus sighting land. In 2008, the $5 bill debuted a high-tech redesign to deter counterfeits. Its front includes the color purple, an imprint of The Great Seal of the United States to the right of Lincoln's face, and a band of stars. On the back, the bold purple '5' watermark at the bottom right stands most conspicuously, along with a sprinkle of yellow 5s to the top right, among its security features. Prior to Alexander Hamilton, a variety of notable figures appeared on the $10 bill, including politician Daniel Webster, explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and President Andrew Jackson. But starting in 1929, Hamilton became the statesman of choice, and the imprinted portrait you see of him today is based on a 1805 painting by John Trumbull. As the nation's first Treasury secretary, Hamilton is one of two non-presidents to be featured on U.S. paper currency (the other is Benjamin Franklin). While Hamilton's portrait is seen on the front, the reverse shows the U.S. Treasury Building. Although a great deal of new technology, such as watermarks and color-shifting ink, has been added to the $10 bill, the biggest change for this denomination is still to come. In 2015, the Treasury announced a woman would replace Hamilton as the new face of the denomination in 2020. However, due to security concerns, the redesign has been delayed until 2026. As a man who wanted to abolish paper money, President Andrew Jackson would've found it quite ironic that his face sits on the $20 bill. While he is seen on the denomination's front side, adorned with watermarks and green and peach hues, the White House is imprinted on the backside. In 2016, it was announced that abolitionist Harriet Tubman would replace Jackson as the new face of the $20 bill starting in 2020, but two years later, then–Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced the decision would be halted until 2028 for security reasons. President Joe Biden's administration said it was 'exploring ways to speed up' the release of the Tubman $20 in January 2021, but the change isn't scheduled to take effect until 2030. Since 1913, Civil War hero and the 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant has been the face of the $50. While many people wonder why Grant was chosen to be on this particular bill, no one really knows the answer. The reverse side of Grant's portrait features the U.S. Capitol, though the earliest iterations included images of Panama, a merchant, and a battleship. Blue and red colors were added on both sides of the bill beginning in 2004, and micro-printed words such as 'Fifty' and 'USA' surround Grant's face, along with a watermark of the American flag to his right. Benjamin Franklin had many titles—Founding Father, inventor, diplomat—but U.S. president wasn't one of them. Still, Franklin began gracing one of the most desirable of denominations, the $100 bill, starting in 1914. A massive redesign in 2013 features Franklin slightly to the left of a quill pen, inkwell, and the Declaration of Independence, along with holographic watermarks and black light technology. The reverse side presents an image of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the first building outside of Washington D.C. to be seen on any American money. You Might Also Like Nicole Richie's Surprising Adoption Story The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother Queen Camilla's Life in Photos
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
US Navy to rename USNS Harvey Milk, named after gay rights leader
The US Navy plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet oiler named after the slain gay rights leader and Navy veteran, and is mulling renaming other ships named after civil rights changes were outlined in documents obtained by BBC's US partner CBS News that show a proposed timeline for when the change would be shared with the comes during Pride Month in June, an annual commemoration of the LGBTQ community that coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in directive also comes amid a broader movement by the Trump administration to curb programmes that promote diversity and inclusion across federal departments. Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, told CBS on Tuesday that the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk is to realign the US military with the Trump administration's goal of "re-establishing the warrior culture" in the Armed memo calls for Navy Secretary John Phelan to select a new name for the fleet oiler. That name change would then be communicated to other senior US Navy officials after a legal also outlines other vessels recommended for renaming, including the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, named after the late liberal Supreme Court judge, and the USNS Harriet Tubman, named after the American slavery abolitionist and social rights Milk is known for being the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was assassinated 10 months after he was sworn push to rename the USNS Harvey Milk comes after a directive issued by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year instructing US military personnel to stop hosting events tied to heritage or awareness months. This directive banned resources and manpower from being used on events like Pride Month, Black History Month and Women's History Month, citing concerns that they would undermine unity in the President Donald Trump also issued executive orders earlier this year that banned diversity, equity and inclusion in the government, and that made it official US policy to recognise two sexes, male and female - a move that has been criticised by LGBTQ rights activists for targeting non-binary and transgender move to rename the Harvey Milk and other ships has been criticised by prominent Democrats, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In a statement to CBS, Pelosi called the move a "vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream".Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X on Tuesday that Hegseth "should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately."
CBS News
7 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Navy set to rename USNS Harvey Milk, mulls new names for other ships named for civil rights leaders
Washington — The U.S. Navy plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the slain gay rights leader and Navy veteran, and is considering renaming multiple naval ships named after civil rights leaders and prominent American voices, CBS News has learned. Norfolk Va., (Sept. 24, 2024) — Civil Service Mariners (CIVMARS) aboard Military Sealift Command's (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) completed their first replenishment-at-sea (RAS) with two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels. LaShawn Sykes U.S. Navy documents obtained by CBS News and used to brief the secretary of the Navy and his chief of staff show proposed timelines for rolling out the name change of the USNS Harvey Milk to the public. While the documents do not say what the ship's new name would be, the proposal comes during Pride Month, the monthlong observance of the LGBTQ+ community that also coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969. WorldPride celebrations are being held in Washington, D.C., this year. The documents obtained by CBS News also show other vessels named after prominent leaders are also on the Navy's renaming "recommended list." Among them are the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers. CBS News found that a December 2024 web article from Naval Sea Systems Command about the laying of the keel for the future USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted. File: Alissa Kamens Marshall, USNS Thurgood Marshall ship sponsor participates in the time-honored tradition of the keel laying/certification by welding her initials into the keel plate of the new ship. Sarah Cannon "The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream," Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told CBS News in a statement. She added, "Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the 'warrior' ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CBS News the move was "an utter abomination in terms of the extreme MAGA Republican effort to continue to erase American history, and we're not going to allow it to happen." And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X that Hegseth "should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately." Following his confirmation in January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive instructing the Pentagon and U.S. military services to cease hosting events tied to heritage or awareness months, citing concerns that such programs could undermine unity within the ranks. The "Identity Months Dead at DoD" guidance banned official manpower and resources from being used on such events — among them, Pride Month, Black History Month and Women's History Month. The documents obtained by CBS News were not marked with the traditional classification markers typically seen on Defense Department memos. The documents were not marked as "For Official Use Only" or "Controlled Unclassified Information," they were also not marked to indicate they were drafts. There was a "CAUTION" note, however, referring to the information as publicly sensitive. The memo said the renaming of naval ships was to realign the U.S. military with Trump administration priorities of "reestablishing the warrior culture." The documents call for Navy Secretary John Phelan to select a new name for the USNS Harvey Milk on Tuesday, with the notice of the name change going out to other senior U.S. Navy officials later in the week after undergoing legal review. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that Hegseth "is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos." Parnell added that any potential renaming decisions would be announced once the internal reviews are complete. first reported the name change for the USNS Harvey Milk on Tuesday, but the news of other naval vessels being considered for a name change has not yet been reported. The USNS Harvey Milk is a John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, designed to support carrier strike groups at sea. The class of ships is named after civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who died in 2020. Harvey Milk, the political trailblazer, emerged in the 1970s as one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. After years of activism, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, where he quickly became a national symbol of LGBTQ+ political empowerment. His life was cut short in 1978 when he was assassinated in City Hall, alongside Mayor George Moscone. The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021 and represented a significant step toward inclusivity within the armed forces. Before he emerged as one of the most visible advocates for gay rights in American history, Milk served in the U.S. Navy. From 1952 to 1954, he held posts as an operations and dive officer aboard two submarine rescue ships — the USS Chanticleer and the USS Kittiwake — both active during the Korean War, according to the U.S. National Archives. But his sexual orientation carried profound consequences as Milk came under scrutiny. In December 1954, Milk, who was then a lieutenant junior grade, was facing a court martial for participating in a "homosexual act" a year earlier. Instead of facing trial, Milk was drummed out of the U.S. military, like so many other gay service members of his era. In January 1954, he resigned his commission and accepted an "Other Than Honorable" discharge. In 2021, the Navy approached Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, to see if he wanted his uncle's discharge upgraded, according to NPR. Stuart decided against it as a reminder that not everyone was treated with honor. The name change would follow two base renamings Hegseth directed earlier this year to reverse the work a congressionally mandated naming commission did to remove names honoring the Confederacy. In February, he directed Fort Liberty in North Carolina return to Fort Bragg, saying it would now be named after a non-Confederate Bragg, and then directed Fort Moore change to Fort Benning, after another Benning. The naming commission also suggested the Navy rename the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville, which honors a Confederate battle victory, to the USS Robert Smalls, to recognize a slave who stole a Confederate ship and surrendered it to the Union. The Navy also renamed the USNS Maury to the USNS Marie Tharp, removing the name of a Confederate sailor and replacing it with the name of a pioneering female oceanographer. Although the Navy has renamed ships for various reasons, name changes are still an exceptionally rare occurrence, especially after the ships have entered service.
CBC
02-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- CBC
Black hiker calls on others to join him on walk to northern end of the Underground Railway
Social Sharing For years, Ken Johnston has hiked Black heritage trails across the U.S., retracing the steps of civil rights pioneers and the freedom seekers who fled slavery and made the long journey north. In 2022, to mark the 200th birthday of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, he trekked from New York City to St. Catharines, Ont., where many former slaves settled, and where Tubman lived from 1851 to 1862. This summer, the Philadelphia-based "walking artist" will continue north, following the path thousands of freedom seekers took to reach Owen Sound, Ont., the northernmost terminus of the Underground Railroad network, after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. And he's looking for people to join him. "Most of my walks have been solo walks, but this is one that I just feel differently about, and I want to open it up," he said. "Doesn't matter if you're white or Black or Indigenous. If anyone who has a love of history and wants to participate, they can come join for one day, one block or one mile." The two-week, 265-kilometre Walk to Freedom will start at the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center in New York on July 19, crossing the Rainbow Bridge into Ontario and continuing north all the way to Owen Sound. Along the way, Johnston hopes to meet with freedom seeker descendants, and explore early Black settlements, such as Negro Creek in Grey County. "All of this is to give people a sensory experience of just what it was like for these freedom seekers," he said. The itinerary for the Owen Sound walk is posted on Johnson's website, and those interested in participating in the initial cross-border walk can register through Eventbrite. The narrative learned about the Underground Railroad, he said, is that freedom seekers made it to the border, crossed, were free, and that's it, Johnson said. "Well, their life went on from there. Some of them were already free. Some of them were formerly enslaved. It's about discovering their life on the other side of the border." Owen Sound's distance from the border offered safety Owen Sound was one of several terminuses freedom seekers landed, along with Amherstburg, Buxton, Chatham, London and Windsor, said Channon Oyeniran, a historian and PhD candidate at Queen's University. After the Fugitive Slave Act, which gave plantation owners the ability to recapture escaped slaves from free states, Owen Sound's distance from the border provided a sense of safety, she said. "I think they found when they got to Owen Sound they were just able to really build a life for themselves and for their families," she said. Many walked to Owen Sound aided by local abolitionists, she said. Newspapers including The Provincial Freemen and The Voice of the Fugitive also helped to find resources and locate relatives. Freedom walk plans to arrive for Emancipation Festival Johnson says the plan is to arrive in the city on Aug. 2 for the Emancipation Festival at Harrison Park. Founded in 1862, the festival runs Aug. 1 to 3, and is now in its 163rd year. It's believed to be the longest-running festival in North America. Frank Thompson of Kansas City, Mo., will be walking with him for the journey. He previously accompanied Johnston from Galveston to Houston in Texas for Juneteenth, and most recently helped him trace the southern route of the Underground Railroad. "Having grown up in Texas and experienced the Juneteenth celebrations there, being able to see a celebration in Canada that predates all of those celebrations, it's one of the things that's going to be a historical touchpoint for me," Thompson said of the Emancipation Festival. What began as a British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church of Owen Sound picnic evolved over time into a celebration of Black history by the descendants of freedom seekers, and a commemoration of the Slavery Abolition Act and Emancipation Day. The festival features speakers, live entertainment, food, drinks, and educational presentations. Bonita Johnson deMatteis sits on the festival's board and is herself a descendant. She said the Saturday festivities begin at the park with an opening ceremony at the Black History Cairn, which deMatteis designed. There, those gathered take "a moment to regard our ancestors that we are here, and we gonna be here," she said. The closing feature of the weekend is a gospel fest, which is returning to the recently-restored BME Church. DeMatteis said she remembers attending the festival as a child, not realizing it wasn't just a family reunion or church function. "I have two granddaughters, and they know about it, and I hope their granddaughters will know about it. There's no reason why this has to fade off into the sunset," she said.
