Drafted into the segregated US Army during World War II, 2nd Lieutenant Jack Roosevelt Robinson—then a nationally-recognized UCLA football star—took aim at racial discrimination in Army policies, programs, and facilities. Join our distinguished panelists to explore the significance of this chapter of Robinson’s patriotism and activism in the context of Black military service during World War II and the contemporary experience of Black servicemembers and veterans. Today, African Americans in the military continue to face racial discrimination, including statistically higher rates of court-martials, demonstrating that the need for advocacy for justice is as relevant as ever.

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Event Details

4:30-6:00PM – Museum Open to Ticketholders for Self-guided Exploration

6:00-7:30PM – Panel Discussion

7:30-8:00PM – Reception

Tickets

$25 for Adults

Discounted tickets available for Veterans, Seniors, Students, Visitors with Disabilities, and Museum Members

Groups welcome; contact us at [email protected] for group reservations.

Featured Speakers

Richard Brookshire
Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Black Veterans Project

Richard Brookshire is a multi-hyphenate storyteller, nationally recognized narrative strategist and public speaker. The CEO and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project, his work is advancing reforms to address racial inequities in access to veterans benefits and the case for reparations.

A contributor to TheGrio, The Root and AfroPunk, Richard’s work has been noted by The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS Newshour, NBC News and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Recognized as ‘One to Watch’ by The Haitian Roundtable in 2017 and named one of Native Son’s 101 ‘Black Gay Men Who Make An Impact’ in 2020, he is the recipient of the 2022 Veterans Justice Award by Senator Richard Blumenthal and the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.

A former infantry combat medic and U.S. Army veteran of the War in Afghanistan, he holds an MPA in Urban & Social Policy from Columbia University, graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University with a BA in political science and completed the New York Film Academy’s Documentary Filmmaking Conservatory in 2020.

Viviana DeCohen
Commissioner, New York State Department of Veterans’ Services

Reverend Viviana M. DeCohen, a proud United States Marine Corps Veteran, is Commissioner of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS), which connects over 630,000 Veterans with the benefits, services, and support they have earned. Under Commissioner DeCohen’s leadership, DVS launched innovative outreach programs such as “Operation Find and Serve,” which connects with Veterans in the places and spaces where they live, work, and play; the adoption of 15 Veterans Welcome Center Digital Kiosks across New York State, which were recognized with the prestigious Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award from the Federal VA; and “Operation Baby,” which provides essential resources to those in need, maintaining a dignified, non-social service approach to assisting Veterans and their loved ones.

Before her appointment as Commissioner, DeCohen served as Director of the Mount Vernon Veterans Service Agency, where she founded the inaugural Veterans’ Closet, known as Kristyn’s Closet. This beloved community initiative garnered significant statewide media attention, serving over 3,000 Veterans within ten months, and was prominently featured in Westchester Magazine. Commissioner DeCohen has dedicated her time, talent, and spirit to ensuring that Veterans have reliable access to food, shelter, clothing, education, employment, and motivation. This commitment, compassion, and empathy earned her the affectionate title of “Mama V.”

She is a member of the Women Marines Association, American Legion Post 1038, National Association of Veteran Program Administrators (NAVPA), Student Veterans of America, and a Military Advisor to the Barbara Giordano Foundation and in 2021 was named a Women Veteran Trailblazer honoree by the Center for Women Veterans. Commissioner DeCohen earned her bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science and a master’s degree in Health Service Management, both from Mercy College, where she established two inaugural Veterans Centers on the Bronx and Dobbs Ferry campuses while working as a Veterans Academic Advisor. Commissioner DeCohen is pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Gerontology at Concordia University, Chicago.

Jeffrey T. Sammons
Professor Emeritus, Department of History, New York University

Jeffrey T. Sammons is professor emeritus of history at New York University. His first book is Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society. He is coauthor, with John H. Morrow, Jr., of Harlem’s Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality and recently contributed “‘Fight for the Things for Which We Die’: African Americans and the Great War” to Imagined Fronts: The Great War and Global Media. He was a history adviser to the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and a founding member of its Valor Medal Review Task Force. He also has served on the Medal of Honor Museum’s Scholar Advisory Panel. Sammons is currently a historical consultant to the Memorial Groves Project at Memorial Park Houston–the site of Camp Logan a WWI training facility most well-known for the armed resistance by some members of the 24th Regiment on August 23, 1917, and the tragic events during and after that fateful night. Sammons is the author of a forthcoming essay “Louis Rafael Corbin of Bermuda: Golf Rebel in the African Diaspora” in Oxford Intersections: Racism by Context. He was a recipient of NEH and Schomburg Center research fellowships.

Moderated by Bradford Davis, Reporter and Cultural Critic

Bradford William Davis is an award-winning reporter and cultural critic focusing on how sports manifest, reinforce, and disrupt societal trends. As a McClatchy columnist and member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board, Davis covers politics and culture with a distinctive emphasis on accountability.

Sponsors

Black Veterans for Social Justice