Welcome to ROUTES
Discover powerful stories in African-American history, music, and culture — updated weekly.
African-American Valor Series
The First to Fall: Crispus Attucks and the Echos of History
Prologue to the African-American Valor Series
Read the Story
🎖 Harriet Tubman: The Soldier, Spy, and Hero
Uncover the fearless role Tubman played in the Civil War — leading raids, gathering intel, and rewriting history.
Read the Story
🐎 Buffalo Soldiers: Pioneers of Black Military Excellence
Meet the brave men of the 9th and 10th Cavalries who fought on two front lines — the battlefield and the fight for equality.
Read the Story
⚖️ Lt. Henry O. Flipper: Fighting Erasure in the U.S. Army
The first Black West Point graduate — court-martialed, erased, but never defeated. His story is one of justice reclaimed.
Read the Story
General Benjamin O. Davis Sr.: The First Black General in U.S. Army History (Fought segregation in the military)
Read the Story
Robert Smalls: From Enslaved Pilot to Civil War Hero and Congressman (Even as an enslaved man, Smalls studied naval movement, harbor protocols, and Confederate vulnerabilities.)
Read the Story
World War I & The Struggle for Recognition
The Harlem Hellfighters: WWI’s Forgotten Black Warriors (369th Infantry Regiment, France)
Read the Story
Sgt. Henry Johnson: The One-Man Army of WWI (Medal of Honor awarded 100 years later)
Read the Story
World War II & The Fight for Military Integration
Dorie Miller: The Pearl Harbor Hero Who Defied Racism (A Navy Mess Attendant Who Became a Symbol of Valor Against All Odds.)
Read the Story
General Benjamin O. Davis Jr.: The Tuskegee Airmen’s Legendary Commander (Red Tails, first Black Air Force general)
Read the Story
Josephine Baker: The Entertainer Who Became a French Resistance Spy
Read the Story
The Tuskegee Airmen (NEW) — Fighting Racism at 15,000 Feet
Read the Story
African Americans in Vietnam: Bravery in a Divided America (Dual fight: war & racism)
Read the Story
The Civil Rights Era, Vietnam, & Modern Leadership
The Montford Point Marines: Integrating the U.S. Marine Corps (Black Marines, WWII training at Montford Point)
Read the Story
Colin Powell: From Harlem to the Highest Ranks of the U.S. Military (First Black Joint Chiefs Chairman & Secretary of State)
Read the Story
General CQ Brown Jr. — From F-16 Fighter to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
Read the Story
NATO & African-American Soldiers in WWII: European Testimonials & Perspectives
Read the Story