The John L. Ford, Sr. African American Heritage Celebration
Spotlight On: One Year in the Curatorial Department
December 21, 2021Spotlight On: Robert Gould Shaw Post 206: African Americans in the Civil War
January 26, 2022The John L. Ford, Sr. African American Heritage Celebration
February 24, 2022 – 7PM
Free Virtual Event – Join us on Facebook or YouTube
Breaking Barriers in World War II
How a city forged in steel, along with the Pittsburgh Courier’s Double “VV” Campaign and Western Pennsylvania’s Tuskegee Airmen, paved the way for Civil Rights in America
Panel Discussion:
Moderator: Sonya D. Ford, Program Manager, Carnegie Mellon University, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
Panelists: Jaquay Edward Carter, Award Winning Historian & USMC Veteran
Michael Kraus, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum Curator
Soldiers & Sailors 6th Regiment USCT Drum Corps Performance Video
Moderator: Sonya D. Ford, Program Manager, Carnegie Mellon University, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
Panelist Bios:
JaQuay Edward Carter
Award-winning historian and USMC Veteran, JaQuay Edward Carter, has a long history of community service, military service, and human services advocacy. JaQuay began his post-secondary education at the Community College of Allegheny County, completing an associate degree in Ethnic and Diversity Studies. Soon after, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where he received his undergraduate degree in History Education/Africana Studies. In 2018, JaQuay was directed back to his hometown of Hazelwood through his passion for history and neighborhood pride. He founded the Greater Hazelwood Historical Society of Pittsburgh and Cultural Center. The following year, he formed the Black History Society of Western Pennsylvania, which is dedicated to the research and repository of our region’s African American experience. JaQuay began working with Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation in 2020 as a consultant on African American Industrial Heritage and Diversity Initiatives. In June of 2021, he became the first person of color to guide industrial tours at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Mr. Carter is currently pursuing dual degrees in Master of Divinity (M.Div.) at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Master of Science in Public Policy and Management (MSPPM) at Carnegie-Mellon University.
Michael Kraus, Curator, Soldiers & Sailors
A well-known Civil War historian, Kraus currently works as Curator/Historian for Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. His accomplishments include several historical consultant credits for major films, writing and narrating the documentary series Civil War Minutes and Civil War Life as well as authoring articles and books regarding the conflict. Michael also is an accomplished sculptor with an impressive resume of historically themed works in bronze.
The John L. Ford, Sr., African American Heritage Celebration is a FREE annual event focusing on the sacrifices & contributions of African-Americans during the American conflicts. Developed in 2011 by Mr. Ford, the event has become a valued aspect of the museum’s community outreach. In 2020, the African American Heritage Celebration was renamed in honor of the late John L. Ford, Sr., who served as Soldiers & Sailors Historian from 2007 through 2017.