Former Members of Congress Discuss U.S. Race Relations at the National Archives November 9
Press Release · Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Washington, DC

In honor of Veterans Day, on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, at 7 p.m., the National Archives presents a panel discussing “From the Trenches of WWI to the November 2016 Elections: Race Relations in America.” The program is free and open to the public, reserve your seat online or watch it live streamed on the National Archives YouTube channel.

The program is presented in partnership with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress.

From the Trenches of WWI to the November 2016 Elections: Race Relations in America
Against the backdrop of the November 8 election, a panel will discuss race relations in our country, focusing on discrimination in the segregated military during World Wars I and II and the effort to posthumously award Medals of Honor to those who were denied them due to race. A bipartisan group of former Members of Congress join issue experts to look at key events in our nation’s history and how they were influenced by race, as well as the role race played in the November 2016 elections.

Moderated by journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, panelists include former Members of Congress Joe DioGuardi (R-NY) and Steve Horsford (D-NV); Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC Delegate to Congress; Jeffrey Sammons, Professor of History, NYU; and Sam Fulwood, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress.

The program will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum.  The National Archives Building is located at Constitution Ave. and 7th Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Attendees should enter through the Special Events entrance on 7th and Constitution Ave, NW.  

Military records at the National Archives

The National Archives is the official repository for records of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard, and other government agencies. These records include: military personnel service records, textual documents including unit reports and rosters; maps and plans; photographs; posters; motion pictures and sound recordings; and electronic records. Resources include:

• Military and Veterans records at the National Archives and Online Veterans and Military Documents

• Video Short  highlighting how the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO, processes military records requests.

• Selected Finding Aids related to World War II records at the National Archives

• Background information and a transcript of the Instrument of Surrender on the list of 100 Milestone Documents of American history.

• Finding Information on Personal Participation in World War II