Latest news with #NationalWWIIMuseum
Axios
5 days ago
- General
- Axios
WWII Museum at 25: Honoring stories before they're lost
The National WWII Museum is marking its 25th anniversary in the coming days by honoring the people who can still share firsthand stories of the war that shaped the modern world. Why it matters: The New Orleans museum will welcome back WWII veterans and Holocaust survivors, whose numbers are dwindling as the years pass. The big picture: The museum hosts several events during the next week in honor of the anniversary, including: The 2025 American Spirit Awards gala Friday night. A remembrance gathering at 6:30am June 6 to mark the moment the invasion of Normandy began. "The Eyes of the World" multimedia concert at The Orpheum on June 6. (Tickets) Dinner with a curator to discuss WWII-era New Orleans. A luminaria display on the museum grounds to honor the 2,510 Americans who died on D-Day. Full list of events. Catch up quick: The venue opened 25 years ago as The National D-Day Museum. It was housed in a single exhibition hall and dedicated to telling the stories of the Americans who participated in the amphibious invasion. Fun fact: The Higgins boats used on D-Day were designed and built in New Orleans. Fewer than 10 original boats remain in existence. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called Andrew Higgins "the man who won the war for us" thanks to his namesake landing craft. State of play: Today, the museum spans seven pavilions and has immersive exhibits and an expansive collection of artifacts. Museum staff say it's critical to collect the oral history from veterans, as fewer than half of a percent of the 16.4 million Americans who served are still living. About 300 Louisiana WWII veterans were alive last year, compared with about 1,150 the year before, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "We have the enormous responsibility to ensure that the memories and experiences of the war will not be lost as those who lived through it leave this world," said Stephen J. Watson, president and CEO of the museum, in a statement.
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
Teyana Taylor's 2025 Met Gala look had all eyes on the show-stopping 'Rose in Harlem'
Teyana Taylor was the look to beat at the 2025 Met Gala on May 5, as she showed up and showed out in a jaw-dropping three-piece pinstripe zoot suit, dramatic burgundy cape and impeccable rose and crystal detailing that gave fashion appreciators a bountiful feast on which to gaze as the details unraveled. The 34-year-old singer-songwriter, dancer and actress, who served as co-host of the Vogue carpet livestream Monday night, wore custom Marc Jacobs and was styled by two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter for the historic look that paid homage to the once-illegal suits that rose to popularity during the Harlem Renaissance, when popular performers like Cab Calloway and Lionel Hampton favored them. According to the National WWII Museum and historian Kathy Peiss, the flowy fit of the suits looked good on the dance floor, allowing the style to quickly spread to other immigrant populations and to the West Coast. 1942 wartime rationing led to zoot suits becoming illegal due to the extra fabric needed to produce them, and eventually they became synonymous with rebellion and crime, leading to the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles, during which U.S. servicemen and white residents attacked and beat scores of Mexican American, Filipino American and Black youths who were wearing the suits. In addition to Taylor's nod to the suits' historical significance, her 2018 song "Rose in Harlem" inspired many of the outfit's other details, from the words "Harlem Rose" embroidered in tonal red thread along the edge of the cape to satin roses blossoming out of black, crystallized vines woven across and down her back, where the cape's structured edges gave way to an ocean of flowing pleats. To finish the look, Taylor donned a burgundy top hat with a large ostrich feather atop a matching durag. The rich red tones were continued throughout the ensemble with leather gloves, a walking stick, and what looked to be platinum jewelry studded with ruby and onyx stones. In an interview with Vogue, Taylor said of the look, "When The Met is Teyana Taylor'd to you, it's the moment we were waiting on." This year's Met Gala theme was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." Both the theme and corresponding Costume Institute exhibit, which were announced in October 2024, took inspiration from Monica L. Miller's 2009 book "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity," according to Vogue. The night's dress code was "Tailored for You," which was "a nod to the exhibition's focus on suiting and menswear, from specific silhouettes to various fabrics and accessories -- that is purposefully designed to both provide guidance and invite creative interpretation," according to a press release.
Boston Globe
29-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Black female WWII unit, ‘Six Triple Eight,' to receive congressional honor
At a ceremony scheduled to be held in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center, House Speaker Mike Johnson and others will present the medal to the family of the unit commander, Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Kim Guise, senior curator and director of curatorial affairs at the National WWII Museum, said there are only two women living from the 855 who served in the unit. Advertisement 'That really shows how long this recognition took,' Guise said. 'It is really important to recognize the accomplishments of these women and what they went through to serve their country in war time.' Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore, who co-sponsored legislation to award the medal to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, called it a long overdue honor for the women in the unit. 'These heroes deserve their dues; and I am so glad their story is being told,' Moore, a Democrat, told The Associated Press on Monday. 'I am especially honored to ensure my constituent Ms. Anna Mae Robertson and the many others who served with her, are recognized for their selfless service.' Advertisement In 2022, Congress voted 422-0 to bestow its highest honor on the 6888th. 'It's overwhelming,' retired Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, who lives in Arizona, told the AP after the vote. 'It's something I never even thought about it.' McClendon joined the Air Force after the military was integrated and retired in 1971. She was the first female to command an all-male squadron with the Strategic Air Command. The 6888th was sent overseas in 1945, a time when there was growing pressure from African-American organizations to include Black women in what was called the Women's Army Corps, and allow them to join their white counterparts overseas. 'They kept hollering about wanting us to go overseas so I guess they found something for us to do overseas: Take care of the mail,' McClendon said. 'And there was an awful lot of mail. ... They expected we were gonna be there about two or three months trying to get it straightened out. Well I think in about a month, in a month and a half, we had it all straightened out and going in the right direction.' The 6888th toiled around the clock, processing about 65,000 pieces of mail in each of the three shifts. They created a system using locator cards with a service member's name and unit number to ensure mail was delivered. Over the years, the unit's story started to gain wider recognition. A monument was erected in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to honor them, and the 6888th was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019. A documentary 'The Six Triple Eight' was made about their exploits. In 2024, Tyler Perry directed a movie for Netflix about the unit, starring Kerry Washington. Advertisement Associated Press writer Michael Casey contributed to this report.
Epoch Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Gary Sinise's Foundation Hosting Veterans' Trip to National WWII Museum in New Orleans
Award-winning actor Gary Sinise is once again helping one of America's greatest generations, the veterans of World War II, embark on an adventure of a lifetime. The 'Forrest Gump' star's nonprofit organization, the Gary Sinise Foundation, is hosting an all-expenses-paid trip to Louisiana later this month for those who served during the 1939–1945 global war. 'We're bringing World War II veterans and their guardians to New Orleans to tour the National WWII Museum built in their honor,' the charity's Their experience includes entertainment, celebratory meals, and community building with their fellow heroes.' The annual excursion, which will take place from April 29 to May 2, is part of the foundation's 'Soaring Valor' program. Launched in 2015, the initiative was expanded two years later to allow high school students to tag along. 'Our WWII veterans fought to save the world from tyranny. The freedom we know today is thanks to their bravery and valor. They taught us the true meaning of patriotism, and we remain forever grateful for their sacrifices,' the website says. 'Students who accompany our veterans carry on their stories with a new appreciation for the sacrifices made by an entire generation.' Related Stories 11/15/2024 11/16/2020 Formerly known as The National D-Day Museum, the New Orleans exhibition notes 'Every veteran is a living library. We've partnered with The National WWII Museum to record the individual stories of America's Greatest Generation and share them with the world,' Sinise's nonprofit said. Veterans who want to participate but cannot travel will still have the opportunity to be interviewed by a historian in their homes. Sinise, 70, began helping service members following the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the New York World Trade Center. He established the foundation a decade later to continue his support of wounded veterans and first responders. In addition to 'Soaring Valor,' some of the charity's other projects include the Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment (R.I.S.E.) program, which works to build specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans. Veterans who have suffered trauma, injury, or illness can get financial assistance, such as help in paying bills or buying groceries, through the nonprofit's H.O.P.E. initiative. The organization also supports the needs of first responders by providing funding for necessary equipment, emergency relief, and training.
