Some had flags on their lapels and "veteran" stitched on their caps. Others leaned on canes or sat in wheelchairs. As the crowd watched and cameras flashed, they gazed out proudly, shoulders back.
For the dozens of men who gathered on the stairway of the Naval Academy's Bancroft Hall rotunda, it had been a long time getting to that moment.
Once, they were all in the Navy's messmen branch, which for decades was restricted to African-American and Filipino men. On land and sea, at war and at peace, the sailors dutifully prepared and served food and tended to officers' living quarters.
Well past the date when the Navy was officially desegregated, they had few opportunities to advance because of their race. All too often, they were unappreciated and unrecognized.
But at the dinner-time ceremony Wednesday, history was faced squarely. Respect was paid. Work and sacrifice was honored. Before 4,500 midshipmen, the assembled messmen and their family members, a plaque was dedicated in the King Hall dining facility.
"If you had told me that they would give a plaque to messboys in 1940 when I was here, I would have thought you were insane," said Chester A. Wright, 86, who had traveled from California to witness the unprecedented event. "It's awesome."
Wright, who retired from the Navy after 21 years as a master chief steward, stood tall in a white cap and gold cummerbund as the plaque was unveiled. "This marker is dedicated to all of our shipmates and unsung trailblazers of African and Asian-Pacific ancestry who proudly served with honor and distinction as Messmen and Stewards," it reads in part.
The idea of honoring the stewards was first suggested by Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina in a letter to the academy's superintendent, and was promoted by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, who gave a speech at the dedication. The superintendent, Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, who has been emphasizing diversity at the academy, took up the cause.
"History forgotten is history relived," said Cmdr. John Fuller, the academy's 4th battalion officer. "We have to educate the current generation about how the past generation was."
The Naval Academy's willingness to talk about its discriminatory policies of yore and make such symbolic gestures is unusual and significant, several academics said.
"The Navy is certainly changing, but it still has some difficulties coming to terms with the past," said Glenn Knoblock, a historian who wrote Black Submariners in the United States Navy, 1940-1975. "This is a good step in the right direction."
