"A white marble cross marks the final resting place of Julius W Morris, private first class in the US army, who died in April 1945. But at the cemetery where he lies in Margraten, a village in the south of the Netherlands, a new battle has begun over the quiet removal of two display panels about African American soldiers, like Morris."
"Relatives, local communities, politicians and historians have called for a permanent memorial to African American servicemen after it emerged that displays commemorating black soldiers had been removed. The move has sparked shock in the Netherlands, with critics of the removal, including a community that cares for the graves, demanding answers about why the black American soldiers have all but vanished from displays."
"The Netherlands American Cemetery near Maastricht holds the graves of 8,301 Americans who died liberating Europe from the Nazis, including 174 African Americans. In 2023, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), which runs the site, opened a visitor centre and last year added two panels: one on the million African Americans who enlisted but were fighting on two fronts, against the Nazis in Europe and against America's racist segregation policies."
A white marble cross marks Julius W Morris's grave at Margraten in the south of the Netherlands. Two display panels about African American soldiers were quietly removed from the Netherlands American Cemetery visitor centre. Relatives, local communities, politicians and historians have demanded the panels' return and called for a permanent memorial to African American servicemen. The cemetery contains 8,301 American graves, including 174 African Americans. The American Battle Monuments Commission opened the visitor centre in 2023 and had added panels recognizing the million African Americans who fought both the Nazis abroad and segregation at home. Provincial officials plan an urgent appeal to restore the panels.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]