February is Black History Month and Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) is proud to join our country in celebrating the history, achievements and experiences of Black Americans.

Black people have fought in every United States war from the Revolutionary War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even when they had to fight for the right to do so. In Minnesota, Black/African American Veterans comprise approximately 3% of our Veteran population.

As shared in Gov. Walz’s proclamation for Black History Month, “Minnesota is home to many prominent Black trailblazers, including Dr. Robert S. Brown, the first Black doctor from Minnesota; Lena Smith, Minnesota’s first Black woman lawyer; Dr. Richard Green, the first Black superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools; Neva Walker, the first Black woman elected to the Minnesota legislature; Sharon Sayles Belton, the first Black mayor of Minneapolis; Melvin Carter, the first Black mayor of Saint Paul; Bobby Joe Champion, the first Black President of the Senate; and Nellie Stone, the first Black woman to be memorialized as a statue in the Capitol.”

Veteran Profiles

• Hazel Johnson-Brown – Nurse, educator, and Army leader: Hazel Johnson-Brown overcame adversity to become the first Black female general and first Black chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps. Read article.
• Robert August Sweeney – Two-time Medal of Honor recipient: Ninety-four African Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor (MOH) but only one has received the MOH twice, both for peace-time actions. “Tales of Honor” podcast tells the stories of every MOH recipient. Listen here.

Want to know more about Black/African American history in the US Military?

• U.S. Army | U.S. Coast Guard | U.S. Marines | U.S. Navy | National Guard | MN National Guard
• U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs video – The American Veteran – African American Veterans