Truman Library Commemorates 70th Anniversary of Truman Desegregating the Armed Forces | July 10, 2018
Public Invited to Special Event Honoring Civil Rights Anniversary
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is hosting a free public program to commemorate the 70th anniversary of President Truman’s executive orders desegregating the armed forces and the federal workforce on Thursday, July 26.
Col. Norma J. Bradford (USA Ret.) will share her insights on her career in the U.S. Army and her rise from second lieutenant to colonel. Bradford will be joined by Rawn James, author of Double V: How Wars, Protest, and Harry Truman Desegregated America’s Military. Their conversation will focus on the historical impact of Truman’s executive order to desegregate the military and view it through the lens of Bradford’s military career.
The first president to address the NAACP, Truman signed his name to two documents — Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 — desegregating the armed forces and the federal workforce on July 26, 1948. 70 years later, the Truman Library is hosting this special program commemorating numerous actions the local president took to advance civil rights, including convening the President’s Committee on Civil Rights and signing Executive Orders 9980 and 9981.
This program also allows the opportunity to view the special display on Truman’s civil rights legacy, “Harry S. Truman and the Quest for Civil Rights.”
The program will be preceded by a special public reception at 5:30 p.m. The program is free to attend, but RSVPs are requested. RSVP at TrumanLibraryInstitute.org/events.
Event details:
- Thursday, July 26, 2018
- Special public reception at 5:30 p.m. with the program following at 6:30 p.m.
- The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, 500 W. U.S. Hwy. 24, Independence, Mo. 64050
The Truman Library Institute is the member-supported, nonprofit partner of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, one of 14 presidential libraries of the National Archives. The Truman Library Institute draws on President Truman’s legacy to enrich the public understanding of history, the presidency and America’s unique form of government. This mission is achieved through the development and funding of world-class museum exhibits, a robust international research grant program, public forums and nationally acclaimed education programs serving more than 50,000 students and teachers each year. Learn more at TrumanLibraryInstitute.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Lacey Helmig
Director of Communications
Truman Library Institute
816-400-1217
lacey.helmig@TrumanLibraryInstitute.org
