NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk honored veterans Monday with a service at West Point Cemetery, where 58 Black Union veterans of the Civil War are buried.
The monument there is one of few memorials dedicated to Black Union soldiers in the South.
Groups dedicated a memorial garden, laid wreaths, and honored all veterans during the service. Some people said the ceremony felt special, poignant, and inclusive.
“We honor those who have bled, died, and given selflessly of themselves to make us who we are today," said Darrell Crittendon, Director of Norfolk's Department of Recreation.
Next to the graves of Black Union veterans, there’s a monument. At the top is a statue of Sgt. William Carney, the first Black soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
“As a symbol for sacrifice, bravery and inclusion," said Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Norfolk State University professor and historian. "So much of this history has been absent from Norfolk’s history for generations, it is heartening that we are now officially acknowledging and commemorating this history."
Newby-Alexander and other historians say the memorial exists because of the persistence of James Fuller, Norfolk’s first Black councilman.
Fuller started fundraising and advocating for the memorial and the monument in the 1880s.
About 100 years later, former Vice Mayor Joseph Green worked to restore it.
“Just to be here is something special," Green said.
Green served on Norfolk City Council for 20 years, between 1976 and 1996. He walked up to the ceremony Monday, and called it encouraging and special.
“We are living that freedom and enjoying Norfolk and seeing it in a new light because we had, I think, our first diverse, interracial, group of people having service here," he said. "It’s really special to see it and to hear different voices we have not heard before."
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (Adam Thoroughgood Chapter) helped clean graves and plant a “Never Forget Garden” at the memorial site. Masonic Lodge members attended the memorial. Democratic and Republican politicians spoke.
“Thank you for your courage, your fight, and your dedication," said Jen Kiggans, a Republican state senator.
Congresswoman Elaine Luria said she was "struck most" by the memorial for "veterans who gave their lives in sacrifice for a country who did not recognize them as citizens.”
“[We remember] men who were born as slaves but joined and fought in the Union army and lost their lives to gain their freedom and protect the freedom we know today," Luria said.
Attendees called it a Memorial Day ceremony of unity on a great day of remembrance.
“We say thank you, and you will never be forgotten," said Crittendon.
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander also spoke at the ceremony, referencing a Sir William Ewert Gladstone quote that says how a community cares for its dead shows the ideals of its people.
Representatives of various groups laid wreaths at the memorial site.