The sun blazed down on their necks as they kept watch on the Western Frontier. The U.S. government promised fair wages to these soldiers, convincing them to risk their lives to support westward expansion efforts in exchange for the dignity Black civilians didn’t have. But here's the truth.
The Buffalo Soldiers were as expendable as the Indigenous people they were forced to fight. Since enslavers brought us to the Americas, we've been manipulated into fighting wars that aren't our own.
Many honor the Buffalo Soldiers for enduring relentless racism during their tenure. Others reject celebrating them because of their role in displacing Indigenous people, although historians confirm instances where they defended Indigenous tribes from white Texas Rangers. History is complex and often contradictory, but let's be clear about this one thing.
We must know who the real enemy is. Colonality. Anti-Blackness. Institutional racism. White supremacy. These systems are the common enemy of all oppressed peoples, and they're affecting us right now. We cannot change the past, but must honor its truth and use it to fuel a liberated future.
Our people deserve to be free from everything. We've fought enough battles on land that we were never meant to call home. The current mission is building a new world where we are free from the anti-Blackness that brought us here.