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NSSAR Announces Formation of Committee to Identify Minority Patriots...



Roland G. Downing, the newly-elected President General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR) announced today that he has created a national committee to honor Black, Indian, women and other minorities and to help their descendants celebrate this heritage and join compatriots and fellow citizens in promoting the Nation's common history.



"Because it is a fact of history that the American Revolution was fought by Whites, Blacks, Native Americans and other minorities standing shoulder to shoulder and heart-to-heart, the SAR of the 21st Century is determined to reach out to Americans of every shade to encourage them to embrace their heritage and join us as brethren," Mr. Downing said.



"We have had Black members for decades, and we have always welcomed Black members," he said, "however, an organization like ours needs to do more. We need to reach out. We need to let every American know this is not just an organization for white men. The Revolution was not a war of just white men."



Founded on April 30, 1889, the NSSAR has over 27,000 members in the United States and nations around the world. Mr. Downing, a retired Navy Captain with a PhD in chemistry, explained that among the SAR's five major goals is to extend and maintain the unifying force of e pluribus unum, one nation and one people.



"I can think of no better way to instill patriotism, respect for national symbols and the value of citizenship than to encourage every American, whether a Revolutionary war descendant or not, to feel connected to our common past, if not through blood, then by the shared kinship we should feel simply being citizens of a nation built on principles-not race."



Joseph W. Dooley, second vice president of the Virginia Society SAR, has been appointed to chair the committee. "We didn't want to wait for the SAR to create this committee before we implemented our program," Mr. Dooley said. "So, in the past month, we have brought in five new Black SAR members and three new Black members of the Children of the American Revolution -- all of whom are descended from Black men who fought in the Revolution."



"Many Americans may wonder how many Blacks served and how many might be eligible in the population to join a hereditary organization like the SAR," Mr. Dooley said. "Well, by some accounts, more than 5,000 of these soldiers were Black. Assuming these numbers are roughly accurate, the math is simple: perhaps as much as 10 percent of Washington's army was Black."



"There could be tens of thousands of persons from African descent eligible to join the SAR or the Daughters of the American Revolution on a Black patriot. Then there are thousands of others who could join on a white one, we shouldn't forget," Mr. Dooley emphasized. "My committee will maintain a roster of those patriots as well as one that identifies our Black members. That's something we have to do to demonstrate our sincerity. Black Americans need to know they are welcomed in the SAR. They need to see they are represented among us."



Mr. Dooley, also a board member of the National Mall Liberty Fund D.C., said that his committee will work with the Liberty Fund D.C. to identify new Black members and persuade them to join both the SAR and DAR. "We are equally concerned that Black women embrace their heritage as well as Black men." He said that he was pleased that Maurice A. Barboza, founder of Liberty Fund D.C. will join his SAR committee. Mr. Barboza had become a member of the District of Columbia SAR Society in 1980. He thereafter suggested to his aunt, Lena Santos Ferguson, that she join the DAR where she was an active member for 17 years.



Mrs. Ferguson and Mr. Barboza's steadfastness and creativity caused the DAR to identify more than 2,400 Black and Native American Patriots--a wonderful resource that offers descendants a tool to discover their heritage," Mr. Dooley said.



Liberty Fund D.C. is spearheading a campaign to resurrect a 20-year old dream of Mr. Barboza and Mrs. Ferguson-- a National Liberty Memorial on the Washington D.C. Mall that honors Black and other citizens who aided the cause of liberty.



Mr. Dooley said that he's issued a challenge to Black Americans that for every Black SAR member referred to his committee, he will contribute to the memorial cause. "Eventually, he said, "every major corporation and foundation in America will donate in a similar manner to ensure Black Americans embrace their heritage and have a symbol of it near the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial."



BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Sons of the American Revolution, www.sar.org

National Mall Liberty Fund D.C., www.libertyfunddc.org



CONTACT:

James N. Randall, NSSAR, Ph: 502-589-1776



Maurice A. Barboza, Liberty Fund D.C., Ph: 703-299-0408






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