military band w/their instruments and Reese standing at the side, on the deck of a ship

James Reese Europe: America’s Jazz Ambassador

First Lieutenant James R. Europe and the 369th Infantry Regiment Band playing for patients in the American Red Cross Hospital No. 9, Paris, France, September 4, 1918. (NAID: 55200536 Local Identifier: 111-SC-20417) The musical career of American jazz bandleader, composer, and arranger James Reese Europe (1881-1919) was as influential and unique as it was tragically … Continue reading James Reese Europe: America’s Jazz Ambassador

“And They Thought We Couldn’t Fight:”* Remembering the Nine Soldiers in a World War I Photograph

Today’s Blog is written by Barbara Lewis Burger, a retired National Archives Still Picture Senior Archivist The above photograph of nine World War I soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment is one of several iconic photographs in the National Archives and Records Administration that document African American soldiers during the war. This particular image has been … Continue reading “And They Thought We Couldn’t Fight:”* Remembering the Nine Soldiers in a World War I Photograph