UNSPEAKABLE JOY OF A BUFFALO SOLDIER’S DESCENDANT.

THE UNSPEAKABLE JOY OF A BUFFALO SOLDIER’S DESCENDANT.

By Black Texans, Inc.

https://youtube.com/shorts/77uPIwRHVXI?si=uBk42B4fEFTX3PmT

With the weight of memory on his shoulders and the fire of faith in his soul, Pastor Kyev Tatum of Fort Worth, Texas, has emerged as one of America’s most passionate stewards of Black military history. As a proud descendant of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers, his life’s mission has become clear: to resurrect the buried, restore the broken, and retell the brave.

It wasn’t a marching order that called him forward—but a melody.

In 2016, his young son Jacob-Paul was invited to play in a reenactment of the Harlem Hellfighters’ Jazz Band—part of the WWI Centennial honoring the 369th Infantry Regiment. That performance stirred more than applause. It stirred a calling. And that call became a crusade.

From that sacred spark, Pastor Tatum birthed three national heritage movements—each illuminating a different chapter of Black military excellence and defiance.

Hung Before Dawn: The Story of the 24th Infantry Regiment of 1917

The journey began in Houston, Texas. There, in the shadow of Camp Logan, thirteen Black soldiers of the 24th Infantry Regiment were scapegoated and hanged before dawn on December 11, 1917—executed without justice after a night of racial violence. No trial of their peers. No voice to defend them. Just silence… and a rope.

One hundred years later, on that very same date, Pastor Tatum stood at Fort Sam Houston alongside the “Bowtie Boys” and fellow descendants, only to discover that even in death, those soldiers were denied dignity—their headstones inaccurate, their names incomplete.

He refused to let history stay buried.

With the help of Texas State Representative James White and the Biden Administration, Pastor Tatum petitioned the U.S. Army to grant clemency and correct the records. The result: new headstones. New recognition. A renewed reckoning with the truth.

From that journey rose Hung Before Dawn—not just a title, but a call to restore what America once erased.

Hope in an Envelope: The Story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion of 1945

Next, Pastor Tatum turned his attention to the trailblazing women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion—an all-Black, all-female unit in WWII, known as the “Six Triple Eight.” Deployed to Europe in 1945, these courageous women faced bombs, rats, racism, and 17 million undelivered letters—all while serving a country that denied them equality.

Yet they sorted every piece. Restored every name. Delivered every thread of hope from home.

Pastor Tatum’s Hope in an Envelope project became a megaphone for their memory. And on April 29, 2025, he led a Fort Worth delegation to Washington, D.C., to witness history: the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Six Triple Eight. That moment of long-overdue honor became a powerful punctuation mark in his mission to lift their names from obscurity into national glory.

Hallelujah for the HellFighters: The Story of the 369th Infantry Regiment of 1918

Then came the Hellfighters.

The Harlem Hellfighters—America’s most storied Black regiment of World War I—fought longer and harder than any other American unit. Denied the right to fight beside white soldiers, they were “loaned” to the French Army, yet never lost a man to capture, never gave up a single trench, and came home heroes.

But it wasn’t just their combat that made history—it was their culture.

Led by bandleader James Reese Europe, their music introduced jazz to Europe, forever transforming the soundscape of the world.

Pastor Tatum’s tribute, Hallelujah for the HellFighters, became a national anthem for their memory—and it led to this defining moment:

On September 3, 2025, Pastor Kyev Tatum and a Fort Worth delegation will attend the official Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in Washington, D.C., honoring the 369th Infantry Regiment.

The event—hosted by Congress in partnership with the 369th Veterans Association—marks a once-in-a-century recognition of Black valor and vindication.

For Pastor Tatum, the invitation is personal. As a descendant, historian, and faith leader, he will stand in the nation’s capital as a living witness to what has too long been ignored. Representing his church, his city, his ancestors, and millions of Black patriots, Pastor Tatum’s presence will echo like a sermon across generations.

“This isn’t just a medal,” he says. “It’s a resurrection. It’s the nation saying, ‘We see you now.’”

A Living Legacy: Camp Buffalo Soldiers and the Tyler Homecoming

Pastor Tatum’s work isn’t limited to ceremonies and history books—it’s living. In July 2025, he launched Camp Buffalo Soldiers at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church: a faith-based, history-infused program teaching youth about the courage, discipline, and legacy of Black military pioneers. It’s more than a camp—it’s a classroom of courage.

And on November 8, 2025, the march comes full circle.

In Tyler, Texas, Pastor Tatum and hundreds of descendants will honor over 1,200 Buffalo Soldiers from Smith County—including his own grandfather. It will be a sacred gathering of honor, memory, and generational healing.

From Hung Before Dawn

to Hope in an Envelope

to Hallelujah for the HellFighters,

Pastor Kyev Tatum’s journey is more than preservation—it’s prophetic.

He’s not just a preacher. He’s a custodian of legacy.

A chaplain of memory.

A descendant on a mission.

And with every mile he marches, the past rises.

With every headstone he restores, truth returns.

With every child he teaches, history lives again.

This is more than a journey.

This is a movement.

This is the unspeakable joy of Black military glory—finally honored, finally heard.

And the story is just beginning.