HENRYJOHNSON

Over 100 years ago, Private Henry Johnson (1897-1929) fought off more than 20 enemy Germans to protect a fellow soldier, suffering severe injuries in the process. In spite of his heroism, when he returned home he was admonished for speaking out about the racism he and his fellow African American soldiers faced while serving in the military and he died in relative obscurity in 1929. In 1996, Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and, in 2015, the Medal of Honor. Watch this short video to learn more about Henry Johnson, or visit the following webpage to learn more about the soldiers of the 369th all-black division who fought alongside the French in World War I: https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/WWI/over-there.html#aef369