Leaders in Albany are raising alarm about what they say appears to be an effort by the Trump administration to diminish the legacy of local hero Sergeant Henry Johnson.
In 1991, Congress declared March 25th as National Medal of Honor Day. At the Henry Johnson monument in Washington Park, Mayor Kathy Sheehan spoke as part of a press conference about the U.S. military's removal of a webpage honoring the 2023 renaming of Fort Polk after World War I soldier Henry Johnson.
"We're joined here by people from many different places and spaces and races, because people like Henry Johnson fought for our freedom. And we can never forget that. And we can never give it up. He nearly gave his life for our freedom. We cannot stand here in the comfort of this great country and allow it to be taken away from us. And so I am grateful for all of us coming here together today, speaking up and making sure that we do not allow this to go unnoticed, that we do not allow it to go unaccounted for, and that we continue to hold accountable those who would seek to tear us down and to destroy our proud legacy and history," said Sheehan.
Elected officials say President Trump's executive order terminating DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion, is behind the missing webpage.
Government officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment by WAMC. Last month, U.S. military public media platforms were instructed to remove all content related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
On closer inspection, it appears that only pages referencing a fort's renaming for Johnson have either been deleted or partially scrubbed of that reference. A webpage honoring Johnson himself remains intact.
Westchester Assemblymember Steve Otis is a fellow-Democrat who represents the 91st district.
"We have to make sure, as New Yorkers and Americans that we reclaim and hold on to the true diverse history of this country, especially what we're seeing the Department of Defense do trying to strip the heroes of color from the history books," Otis said.
Johnson enlisted in the Army on June 5, 1917. Because of racial segregation, Johnson and fellow-members of 369th Infantry Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters, fought under French command.
43rd district Republican State Senator Jake Ashby says Johnson suffered 21 wounds, rescuing a fellow soldier while singlehandedly repelling an enemy raid in 1918 and receiving the French military’s highest recognition.
"Does anybody know how long it took him to receive the Croix de Guerre from the country of France? He received it that year in 1918. It took another 78 years for him to receive his Purple Heart," said Ashby.
Johnson died in Albany, destitute, in 1929, at age 32, after speaking out against racism in the armed forces.
Johnson received the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama in 2015.
State Senator Pat Fahy says what's happening today has "nothing to do with DEI."
"This attempt to erase history is truly disturbing, as Fort Polk was renamed in 2021 after a bipartisan commission named it the Fort Henry Johnson base," Fahy said.
Fort Polk was originally named to honor Confederate general and Episcopal bishop Leonidas Polk.
