Congresswoman Barbara Lee Honors Montford Point Marines at Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
Contact: Kristal DeKleer (202) 225-1882
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) attended a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the Montford Point Marines. After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt opened the doors for African Americans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, 20,000 brave African Americans enlisted in a time of war when the military services were still resistant to integration. Years before Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., these heroes joined the Marines to defend our great nation.
“Today I was proud to sit with the Montford Point Marines as they received due recognition for their service and sacrifice,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “Seventy years later, the first Black Marines were finally honored with Congressional Gold Medal – the highest civilian honor. Despite stooped bodies and declining health, these patriotic Montford Point Marines salute the flag under which they fought.”
Oakland resident and Montford Point Marine Wortham Fears was honored at the ceremony. Mr. Fears answered our nation’s call at a time when our society was deeply divided along racial lines.
“Today’s occasion provided a time to recognize and pay respect for the service of Reverend Wortham Fears,” said Congresswoman Lee. “This Congressional Gold Medal will go a long way towards correcting this past injustice and forever anchor their role in the history of our nation’s military.”
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