Black History Month

February is here and it is officially Black History Month. This celebration initially began as Negro History Week and it was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12th and that of Frederick Douglass’, purportedly February 14th, both of which Black communities had celebrated since the late 19th century.

Thus, when it was expanded to a month-long celebration, February was the logical choice.

In our area of the country, we have had many African-Americans who have served their county bravely. Three locals that immediately come to mind are Joe Gomer, William Maupins, and Matthew Carter who served in the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army respectively.

The stories of their military heroics are captured and preserved in the Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center and disseminated via the Veterans Memorial Hall (VMH) website: www.vets-hall.org

Joseph Philip Gomer:

Joe Gomer was born in Iowa Falls, Iowa in 1920. He graduated from Iowa Falls High School in 1938 and then attended and graduated from Ellsworth Community College

Gomer joined the US Army and served during World War II in North Africa, Italy, and Germany. He was part of the Army Air Corps (AAC), the predecessor of the U.S Air Force (USAF).

Joe Gomer of the 332nd Fighter Group (Tuskegee Airmen). His statue is located at Duluth International Airport.

Joe was one of the early classes of black aviators who made up the famed Tuskegee Airmen (‘Experiment’). He was assigned to the segregated 332nd Fighter Group in Italy.

The Tuskegee Airmen were often referred to as the "Red Tail Angels" because of the distinctive markings on the tales of their aircraft and their mission of escorting American bombers on their raids over Germany. Many of the white pilots they protected didn’t know that their defender escorts were African-American.

Mr. Gomer completed 160 successful missions during the war and even survived being shot down once. After the war he stayed in the USAF and served during the Korean War. He was still serving there when President Harry Truman fully desegregated the U.S. military. He retired as a Major and was later recognized by the NAACP for his service.

in 2007, as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Gomer was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush; the highest honor that the Congress can bestow.

Major Gomer passed away on October 10th, 2013, at 93 years of age in Duluth. For more information on Joe, see his composite story on the VMH website at: Joseph Philip Gomer | Veterans Memorial Hall

Wiliam Fountain Maupins, Jr:

William Fountain Maupins Jr. was born in Duluth in 1921 and was orphaned twice before being adopted from an orphanage by a married couple. His adopted father worked at the Hotel Duluth as an elevator operator and shined shoes.

Mr. Maupins went to Duluth Central High School and after graduation he served in the US Navy during WWII. He enlisted on March 27th, 1939, and crewed aboard the storied USS Paducah stationed at the Duluth Naval Reserve on Minnesota Point.

William Maupins served in the Navy during WWII. William served aboard several other vessels as well during World War II and rose to the rank of Stewards Mate 1st Class (STM1/c).

After the war he returned to Duluth and enrolled at UMD and got a degree in political science in 1961. He became president of the Duluth chapter of the NAACP helping African American families by pushing and a campaign that led to a city fair-housing ordinance.

Mr. Maupins passed away on March 28th,1992, in Duluth, but he left a lasting legacy of positive change.

For more information on William, see his composite story on the VMH website at: William Fountain Maupins, Jr. | Veterans Memorial Hall

Matthew C. Carter:

Matthew C. Carter was born on July 5th,1926, to John & Cleo Carter in Laurel, Mississippi.

Mr. Carter registered for military service March 17th, 1945. While awaiting his induction he moved to Chicago to work on the on the Great Lakes Fleet. While working for US Steel his draft assignment came up and was inducted into the Army in June of 1945.

Private Carter was assigned to a mixed-race Company C for basic training. They trained together but bunked and ate separately. PVT Carter's brother was also serving with the 92nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action on the front lines in Central Europe right near the end of WWII. Since there were no other caretakers for his mother back home in Mississippi, the Army gave PVT Matthew Carter a general discharge.

Mr. Carter later married Helen Louise [Lewis] and they started a family and eventually settled in Lakeside area of Duluth, Minnesota from where he spent another 40 years working on the Great Lakes ships. Unfortunately, they ran into some racist resistance from some members of the community. With help from one of his good friends and fellow veteran, William Maupins (featured above), and the NAACP, city-wide fair-housing ordinances were passed. The Carter family appeared on the front cover of Minnesota History Monthly magazine in 2020.

Mr. Carter was also a close friend to Joe Gomer who was also featured earlier in this story. Matthew’s son Anthony also served in the military.

Matthew C. Carter passed away on November 13th, 2024, at 98 years of age and is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Duluth.

For more information on Matthew, see his composite story and oral history on the VMH website at: Matthew C. Carter | Veterans Memorial Hall

African Americans living in Duluth, Minnesota during the past century were not necessarily given a warm welcome. But over time, wounds are healing and their contributions are being properly recognized.

The Veterans Memorial Hall mission is to Collect, Preserve and Disseminate the history of Veterans of northeastern Minnesota. We have approximately 35k Veterans whose stories need to be collected and preserved.

And don’t forget to honor our Veterans by documenting and studying their histories. We currently have over 29,000 Veterans catalogued in our Veterans Information Database but only 8k of them have a story on our website. For more information about any of our documented Veterans of northeastern Minnesota, go to www.vets-hall.org to read some of their stories. If there is any interest in volunteering to write any of the 21k+ Veterans stories during the cold winter months, or anytime, reach out to the Veterans Memorial Hall.

-Jay Hagen, VMH Program Manager