WASHINGTON — A U Street fixture got cleaned ahead of its 20th anniversary celebration in D.C. on Saturday.
About a dozen volunteers gathered at the African American Civil War Memorial with cloths, orange buckets, cleaning solutions and their muscles to help restore the memorial’s shine.
“About two weeks from now, we’re going to celebrate our 20th anniversary,” Frank Smith, founding director of the African American Civil War Museum, told the group before they got to work. “I would like to think you all are helping us kick off this 20th anniversary program.”
Vince Patton said everyday cleaning solutions were sufficient to restore the memorial’s luster.
“A little bit of Windex to make it shine just a little bit, but that’s about all you need,” he said.
Volunteers gather to spruce up @afroamcivilwar ahead of 20th anniversary. @NewDayUSA @WTOP pic.twitter.com/A4FWd5Tg0A
— Liz Anderson (@PlanetNoun) July 7, 2018
After wiping the memorial down with Windex and gently washing it with water, the panels gleamed in the sunlight.
They contain the 209,145 names of the United States Colored Troops, the name for regiments of the Army that had black soldiers.
“This monument not only represents [black people] who were in the war, white officers who commanded these soldiers, but also [there are] 1,500 Hispanic surnames on our wall out here,” Smith said. “It tells a story about a great odyssey of America, which is coming out of slavery into freedom.”
— Liz Anderson (@PlanetNoun) July 7, 2018
In addition to tidying the panels, volunteers also scooped dirt that had clustered in the memorial’s gutters.
“They’re taking the dirt that goes into the gutters and using what’s called bamboo pixie sticks to get out the dirt,” National Park Services ranger James Pierce said.
Pierce said projects like this are important to him.
“As a veteran, I like to continue to serve … so I want to keep our nation’s most iconic memorials beautiful for everyone to enjoy,” he said.
Gary Morrison said this project has been an eye-opener.
“Everybody that’s volunteered has been digging around on the internet to see, you know, what is the story behind these 209,000 people? And it’s nothing I ever learned in school,” Morrison said.
After the cleanup, volunteers walked across the street to tour the African American Civil War Memorial Museum.
