Amid debate about U.S. history, Harlem Hellfighters receive Congressional Gold Medal

['Alana Wise', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-09-06 10:01:00

Leander Willett, with the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all of the “Harlem Hellfighters” of World War I during a ceremony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik | Getty Images)The Harlem Hellfighters of the New York National Guard’s 369th Infantry Regiment were posthumously honored this week with a Congressional Gold Medal. The regiment that came to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters served in the trenches of World War I for 191 days, growing legendary for their fighting abilities. The Harlem Hellfighters: Fighting Racism In The Trenches Of WWI The Harlem Hellfighters broke barriers as the first African-American infantry unit to fight in World War I. Their story is retold in a new graphic novel written by Max Brooks, author of World War Z. The Smithsonian Institution, which will house the Congressional Medal, has been at the center of that effort.