Breaking the Naval Academy Color Barrier

The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress honored Lt. Commander Wes Brown (Ret.), who in 1949 became the first black to gradua… read more

The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress honored Lt. Commander Wes Brown (Ret.), who in 1949 became the first black to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. During this event at the Library of Congress he discussed his experience breaking the color barrier at Annapolis. He discussed the place of this goal in the civil rights struggle and the continued success of black graduates of the service academies.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Kerwin Miller spoke about the service of Lt. Commander Brown, including working with him on the academy selection committee. Current Naval Academy Midshipman Matthew Bowman spoke about his legacy. Robert Schneller spoke about how he came to write on this subject and the history of efforts to break the color barrier. He spoke about the assistance that Wes Brown gave to his project and about his academy experiences.

Robert Schneller is the author of [Breaking the Color Barrier: The U.S. Naval Academy’s First Black Midshipmen and the close

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Breaking the Naval Academy Color Barrier

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Program ID:
188413-1
Category:
Public Affairs Event
Format:
Forum
Location:
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
First Aired:
Nov 12, 2005 | 8:42pm EST | C-SPAN 1
Last Aired:
Nov 12, 2005 | 11:44pm EST | C-SPAN 1

Airing Details

  • Nov 12, 2005 | 8:42pm EST | C-SPAN 1
  • Nov 12, 2005 | 11:44pm EST | C-SPAN 1
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Breaking the Naval Academy Color Barrier

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