Black Texans, Inc.

A DRIVER OF DESTINY: TEC 5 Douglas Westbrook, the “Red Ball Express,” and the Living Legacy of New Trinity Cemetery in Haltom City.  https://youtu.be/uDqphR0z03k?si=p-nPAItSm_QrWM7G “Keep ’Em Rolling” — African American Service in the Red Ball Express HALTOM CITY, TEXAS - History does not always arrive with applause or parade. More often, it waits—quiet and patient—beneath the soil, its truth etched into weathered stone, until someone willing to dig for dignity stops long enough to listen. That moment came at Historic New Trinity Cemetery when First Sergeant Clinton Warren, a respected Buffalo Soldiers historian and trusted authority on Black military heritage, attended a Wreaths Across America ceremony at the invitation of Pastor Kyev Tatum. What began as an act of remembrance soon became revelation. Among the headstones, Warren paused at the marker of Technician Fifth Grade Douglas Westbrook, U.S. Army—assigned during World War II to the 380th Quartermaster Truck Company. In an i...

A LIFELINE TO THE FRONTLINE:  TEC5 Florence Marie Cole (Rawls) of Fort Worth, Texas and the Story of the 6888th in World War II.  The Only Congressional Gold Medal Recipient Resting at Historic New Trinity Cemetery ( https://libraries.uta.edu/news/honoring-local-6888th-battalion-members ). A Technician. A Trailblazer. A Woman Who Delivered 17 Million Messages of Hope in Just Three Months. By Black Texans Inc. HALTOM CITY, TEXAS - In the bitter cold of wartime Europe—inside dim, unheated warehouses where dust hung heavy and morale ran thin—hope did not arrive with fanfare. It arrived quietly. Folded. Stamped. Sealed in envelopes. At the heart of that miracle stood women like Technician Fifth Grade (TEC5) Florence Marie Cole (Rawls) of Fort Worth, Texas—a soldier of precision and purpose, and a member of the legendary 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female unit deployed overseas during World War II. Today, she is remembered not only for what sh...

WAY TOO YOUNG TO SERVE — YET CALLED TO SACRIFICE. Fort Worth Buffalo Soldier Private Arthur Williams (1905–1955). One of the Youngest Soldiers To Serve in WWI.  325th Service Battalion, Quartermaster Corps | World War I Born August 11, 1905 | Enlisted at Just 12 Years Old, One of the Youngest Soldiers to Serve in World War I (1917).  NEW TRINITY CEMETERY: Before he had fully stepped into adolescence, Private Arthur Williams of Fort Worth, Texas, stepped into history. Born on August 11, 1905, Williams joined the United States Army during World War I at the astonishing age of twelve, offering his youth to a nation still grappling with racial injustice and struggling to recognize the full humanity of its Black citizens. He was a boy soldier, called to a duty far beyond his years, whose courage and sacrifice remain a powerful testament to resilience, patriotism, and the untold contributions of America’s youngest heroes. Williams served in the 325th Service Battalion of the Quarter...

  MISSION POSSIBLE TARRANT COUNTY: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way. Mission Possible Tarrant County 2026 MLK Day of Service Weekend. January 17–19, 2026 | Tarrant County, Texas In sacred remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the generations of ancestors whose lives, labor, and sacrifice are consecrated in the soil of Historic New Trinity Cemetery, the community is invited to participate in a three-day MLK Day of Service Weekend rooted in honor, sacrifice, and service. As we commemorate the 140th anniversary of New Trinity Cemetery, we gather to remember, restore, and rejoice—continuing our collective Dig for Dignity through acts of service grounded in love, justice, and nonviolence. More than a commemoration, this weekend is a call to action—bringing Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community to life through service, worship, learning, and compassion-driven outreach. Honoring Sacred Lives and Sacred Ground This sacred remembrance includes a community...

BENEATH THE WREATHS AT NEW TRINITY: Honoring Black Boy Soldiers of World War I at New Trinity Cemetery. Children of War. Sons of Courage. Haltom City, Texas — Our Black boy soldiers of World War I carried burdens no child should ever bear. They marched, labored, and served with courage far beyond their years. At New Trinity Cemetery, they now rest beside more than 500 Black military veterans whose sacrifices helped shape this nation—even as that same nation denied them dignity, equality, and honor in return. On December 13, 2025, during the solemn Wreaths Across America ceremony at historic New Trinity Cemetery, a long-buried truth emerged from beneath grass, stone, and silence: among those laid to rest here are Black boys—some as young as twelve years old—who served during World War I between 1917 and 1919. As volunteers moved reverently through the military rows, retired veteran Jack Webb of American Legion Post 655 shared overlooked history with Pastor Kyev Tatum of New Mount Rose M...