I am Also Entitled to be Recognized: The Journey of Moses Williams, Buffalo Soldier

Clark County Historical Museum kicks off its 2023 History on Tap season at the Kiggins Theatre with historian Gregory P. Shine presenting “I am Also Entitled to be Recognized: The Journey of Moses Williams, Buffalo Soldier.” The program will explore the life, military service, and Pacific Northwest connections of Sgt. Moses Williams – a decorated Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor recipient – and share new research that sheds light on key turning points in Williams’ fascinating life.

Williams, a nineteenth century U.S. Army soldier who served in the Ninth U.S. Cavalry – one of four all-African American regiments known as Buffalo Soldiers – and at several western posts as an ordnance sergeant, is buried in the Vancouver Barracks post cemetery. As Shine’s program will illustrate, Williams’ journey from rural Louisiana, through assignments at remote forts in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Oregon, reveals much about the history of the American West.

Gregory P. Shine is a historian, writer and educator who has been connecting people to the history of the American West for over 30 years. Throughout his career, Greg has worked for the U.S. National Park Service – including 14 years locally as the chief ranger and historian at Fort Vancouver N.H.S. – and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, where he currently leads the agency’s national Interpretation program. Greg also taught history at Portland State University for nearly a decade. An active community volunteer, he is a longstanding member of the editorial board of the Oregon Encyclopedia, a project of the Oregon Historical Society. Greg is a popular speaker on topics related to Pacific Northwest history and has appeared on episodes of PBS’s History Detectives and OPB’s Oregon Experience. Most recently, Greg was a consulting historian to the documentary film Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts.

Before the main event, see if you can figure out which tidbits of history are true and which ones are fake in our newest segment, “A History and A Lie”. And watch as the Passages to Success crew battle for the title of “King of Trivia” during Clark County Trivia.

 Tickets can be purchased at the Kiggins Theatre Box Office or online at kigginstheatre.com/movies/history-on-tap.

The History on Tap season is brought to you by Passages to Success. Special thanks to all our season sponsors Vancouver’s Downtown Association and Ryan Philbrook, Voice Overs. Program support provided by Versa Events.

More About Moses Williams

To learn more about Moses Williams, the Buffalo Soldiers at Vancouver Barracks and in the Pacific Northwest, the history of Blacks in Oregon, and related topics, visit the Oregon Encyclopedia online at https://oregonencyclopedia.org.