America at 250: Fight Like Forty-Two. From the Nation to Texas to Fort Worth — Tell the Whole Story. By Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. Colossians 1:10. Glory!
America at 250: Fight Like Forty-Two. From the Nation to Texas to Fort Worth — Tell the Whole Story. By Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. Colossians 1:10. Glory!
In 2026, the United States of America turns 250 years old.
Two hundred and fifty years since a declaration was signed proclaiming liberty and equality.
But anniversaries are not just celebrations. They are examinations.
And if we are going to honor America at 250 with integrity, we must tell the whole story — not just nationally, but here in Texas, and here in Fort Worth.
Because American history does not live in Washington alone.
It lives in Texas soil.
It lives in Fort Worth ground.
It lives in sacred cemeteries and school doorways.
Black history is not a sidebar to the American story.
It is America’s story.
From American Ideals to Texas Reality
The Declaration of Independence declared equality in 1776. But generations had to struggle to make those words real.
The Buffalo Soldiers rode across Texas frontier land, guarding borders and building roads, even as they faced discrimination within the ranks they served.
The 369th Harlem Hellfighters fought with distinction in World War I, representing thousands of Black Texans who would serve in every conflict thereafter.
The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the Six Triple Eight — cleared wartime mail during World War II while enduring segregation under the same flag they honored.
And in 1917, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, the soldiers of the 24th Infantry Regiment were court-martialed and executed in what became known as those who were “Hung Before Dawn.” Their story is not separate from Texas history. It is part of our military and moral inheritance.
If Texas is proud of its military tradition — and it should be — then Texas must acknowledge every soldier who wore the uniform.
We cannot celebrate selectively.
We must remember completely.
From Little Rock to “Before Little Rock”
In 1956, Mansfield High School became the site of a constitutional crisis over desegregation — a moment that preceded Little Rock.
“Before Little Rock” happened in Texas.
That is not simply a historical footnote. It is a reminder that Texas stands at the crossroads of American justice movements.
Texas has known triumph.
Texas has also known tension.
The 1998 dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. in Jasper forced our state — and the nation — to confront hatred in a place that also proclaims faith and freedom.
But patriotism is not denial.
Patriotism is the courage to confront the past while committing to a better future.
From Ballfields to Battlefields
Texas baseball carries its own civil rights history.
Negro League athletes played with excellence long before integration opened stadium gates. Through initiatives like Black On Base and Fight Like Forty-Two, we remember that the ballfields of Texas are fields of civil rights history. Rube Foster — regarded as the father of the Negro Leagues — was born in Texas.
That legacy belongs to this state.
From the battlefield to the ballfield, Black Texans defended and defined America.
A Fort Worth Responsibility
But history does not stop at the state line. It lands in cities.
And here in Fort Worth, the whole story rests beneath our feet.
At New Trinity Cemetery in Haltom City — established more than 140 years ago — Buffalo Soldiers, members of the Six Triple Eight, Red Ball Express soldiers, Pioneer Infantry, Black physicians, and community leaders are buried.
For too long, many of those graves stood in silence.
But on July 28, 2025, on National Buffalo Soldiers Day, the “Digging for Dignity” initiative began.
The rediscovery of the headstone of Congressional Gold Medal recipient Technician Fifth Grade Florence Marie Cole Rawls of the 6888th Battalion marked more than a historical correction. It marked a moral awakening.
From July 2025 through early 2026, New Trinity Cemetery became more than burial ground. It became sacred ground reclaimed.
• The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Labor Detail restored neglected gravesites.
• American Legion Post 655, Texas Buffalo Soldiers, the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas, and New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church joined in coordinated preservation.
• Veterans Day 2025 marked a formal rededication ceremony.
• Wreaths Across America placed more than 500 wreaths and flags on Black veterans’ graves.
• The stories of forgotten boy soldiers, including Arthur Williams, surfaced — reminding us how young freedom’s defenders once were.
In January 2026, during the Inaugural Buffalo Soldiers MLK Day of Service, Fort Worth will again gather to reflect, restore, and teach.
And beginning in February 2026, guided Buffalo Soldiers “Digging for Dignity” tours will transform that cemetery into a living classroom.
This is what telling the whole story looks like.
Not abstract speeches.
But restored graves.
Not slogans.
But stewardship.
The Moral Work of 250
For forty years, I have engaged in conversations across Texas and the nation — from debates over Confederate symbolism to advocacy for clemency and new headstones for the 24th Infantry soldiers.
Because memory shapes identity.
And identity shapes destiny.
America at 250 does not need myth.
Texas does not need nostalgia.
Fort Worth does not need selective memory.
We need courage.
We need maturity.
We need truth.
When Texas tells the whole story, we do not weaken our state.
We strengthen it.
When Fort Worth preserves sacred ground, we do not reopen wounds.
We dignify sacrifice.
If America is to celebrate 250 years of independence, then Texas must lead with honesty — and Fort Worth must model stewardship.
Because freedom deepens when truth is told.
And at 250, the greatest tribute we can offer this nation is not fireworks.
It is fidelity to the whole story.
About the Author
Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. is a Fort Worth-based faith leader, historian, and civil rights advocate with 40 years of public engagement in racial equity, military history preservation, and historic recognition efforts. Through his preservation platform and blog, Black Texans, Inc., he documents and elevates the stories of African American military service, civil rights milestones, sacred ground preservation, and cultural contributions across Texas and the nation.
For information about Buffalo Soldiers “Digging for Dignity” Guided Tours at New Trinity Cemetery, contact 817-966-7625.
Rev. Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.,
Pastor and Mediator
New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church
Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas
2864 Mississippi Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
817-966-7625, kptatum1@gmail.com
Website: www.newmountrose.com
Surprisingly, Texas has more African-Americans than any other state in the United States of America: https://blackdemographics.com/
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