June 2025
Recently, national conversations have surfaced across social media regarding Beyoncé wearing a Buffalo Soldiers shirt, with some voices raising concerns about the historical role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the displacement and violence against Indigenous peoples during the westward expansion of the United States. These conversations have sparked necessary and long-overdue dialogue.
We want to acknowledge the truths behind these critiques. The history of the Buffalo Soldiers is complex. While these Black servicemen broke barriers in a deeply segregated military and nation, they were also used as instruments of U.S. expansion—serving in campaigns that resulted in the harm and displacement of Indigenous communities that still occur today. This is a painful and important part of American history that has long been ignored or oversimplified in textbooks, classrooms, and even museums.
At the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, we are committed to truth-telling and evolving beyond singular narratives. Most people know the Buffalo Soldiers solely as frontier fighters, but their story stretches far beyond the plains. Their legacy spans generations from serving in every American war following the Civil War, to paving the way for future civil rights progress, to shaping the identity and pride of Black military families across the country. This history, while filled with contradictions, is also filled with resilience, sacrifice, and multigenerational impact.
We believe this is a moment not to cancel, but to learn and unlearn to sit with the complexities of our shared history. The work of understanding how oppressed communities were sometimes positioned against each other under systems of colonization and white supremacy is critical to our collective healing.
We are actively working to build relationships and shared programming with Indigenous communities and other communities of color. Our path forward includes acknowledgment, accountability, and creating space for Indigenous voices and histories within our exhibitions and educational programming.
How we interpret history evolves over time. Today, it is our responsibility to expand the narrative, confront the uncomfortable truths, and engage in meaningful dialogue that leads to healing and understanding.
We invite the public to join us in this journey of reflection, reckoning, and reconciliation.
— Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
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