Today, I have the honor to share with you a touching story of dedication to country under extraordinary conditions.  

I recently had the pleasure of visiting with a constituent who has dedicated her life to education, teaching and helping others, Mrs. Eunice Davis Pettigrew.  Mrs. Pettigrew, now in her 80s, is a former small business owner and retired teacher and counselor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.  Over the past several years, she has continued her lifelong quest for academic excellence by researching the life of her grandfather, Isaac Johnson, who grew up as a slave on a southern plantation and later served in one of the first regular army regiments of African-Americans on the American frontier following the Civil War.  

When I visited with Mrs. Pettigrew, she shared with me a heartfelt narrative she recently completed about her grandfather’s journey from slave to soldier.  Not only did her grandfather overcome a childhood of slavery, he chose to serve his country even in the face of racial prejudice and inequalities as a member of the U.S. Calvary in a regiment that came to be known as the famous “Buffalo Soldiers.” 

Hearing this story reminded me that we should never forget the challenges our predecessors faced to preserve this great nation.  The Civil War ended the nightmare of slavery, but we must all continue to work, together and as individuals, each day to make sure that our country truly is a community of all people.  

As this month we celebrate Black History, we should take a moment to remember those like Isaac Johnson and the many others who came before us and made this nation strong, free, and prosperous.  It is with humbleness and gratitude that I share with you and submit to the Congressional Record Mrs. Pettigrew’s narrative about her grandfather, Isaac Johnson, and how he overcame significant challenges to become a true American patriot.