Buffalo Soldiers visit Snow Hill Middle School
SNOW HILL, Md. – Students at Snow Hill Middle School got a special history lesson today with the help of a local group with deep historical ties to the United States.
The Buffalo Soldiers made the appearance at Snow Hill Middle School to focus on providing the next generation with the knowledge of the Buffalo Soldiers and what that means for African American History.
Chapter Second Vice President, Erwin Polk, explains why this history is so important. “This is one of the areas it has almost been erased, and it just starts to come out. I heard about Buffalo Soldiers in the 1990s.”
The soldiers were nicknamed for their fierce and tenacious buffalo-like courage. The all-black military brigade maintained one of the lowest desertion rates. Polk said he hopes the students were able to expand their knowledge.
“I hope they look further into this. I was accepted into college, I didn’t major in it, but I was accepted as a history major. History is awesome.”
The sixth grade and eighth grade students were tasked with writing an essay on the soldiers. At the end of the presentation, two students got awards gifted from the Salisbury chapter.
Assistant Principal Lavonya Dashiell tells WMDT why history is important.”So having these events in the schools, and having community members come in, is so important, because it bridges the gap between each generation, our younger generation and older generation.”
21 students participated in the essay contest this year, with the hope to double it next year. Polk thanks the school for allowing them to come in and give the students a glimpse of history.
