In a historic decision, the U.S. Army has set aside the convictions of 110 Black soldiers who were court-martialed for their role in the 1917 Houston riots, a dark chapter in U.S. history marked by racial tensions, the pervasive impact of Jim Crow, and the country’s entanglement in World War I.
Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth announced the move on Monday, saying she posthumously setting aside the convictions of members of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment — a segregated unit that is widely known today as the Buffalo Soldiers.
In a statement, Wormuth praised her military branch’s decision to overturn the convictions while acknowledging the soldiers were mistreated and denied fair trials because of their race, according to a statement from the Army Public Affairs office.
As a result, the convictions were ordered nullified and honorable discharges granted to the men, marking a major step forward in addressing longstanding racial injustices within the nation’s military.
“After a thorough review, the board has found that these soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials,” Wormuth said. “By setting aside their convictions and granting honorable discharges, the Army is acknowledging past mistakes and setting the record straight.”
The decision comes more than a century after the riot on Aug. 23, 1917, which left 19 dead just four months after President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, which mobilized U.S. troops in support of the Allied nations during the endgame of the global conflict.
Violence erupted after months of provocations by local police against the Black unit, culminating in the arrest of two Black soldiers who were brutally assaulted by local police.
In response, more than a hundred Buffalo Soldiers armed themselves and marched on the city, sparking bloodshed as Black citizens already faced strain due to constant clashes with peace…
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