A commemoration service and public reception will be held Sept. 28, to celebrate the life and achievements of U. S. Army Col. Charles Young.
Young was born into slavery in a log cabin in May's Lick in 1864 and went on to have an illustrious military career from 1889 until his death in 1922.
For more than four years, the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations has worked to have Young promoted posthumously to the rank of brigadier general. Though Young's home in Wilberforce, Ohio, was designated a national monument under the National Park Service by President Barack Obama on March 25, 2013, the president hasn't moved on the NCBVO requests and petitions to approve the posthumous promotion.
The events of Sept. 28 will include a commemoration service at the Second Baptist Church on Raymond Road in May's Lick at 11 a.m.; a public reception at the restored Young cabin on Helena Road at 1:30 p.m.; and the premier of the Young maquette and exhibition.
Several dignitaries have committed to attend the event including: U.S. Congressman Fourth District Thomas Massie; Commissioner of Kentucky Veteran Affairs Heather French Henry; Brian Shellum, author of Black Officer in a Buffalo Soldier Regiment; NCBVO Chairman Charles Blatcher III; Dennis Russell, Charles Young descendant; Chief Methuselah Z.O. Bradley IV, Esq., Honorary Consul for the Government of Sierra Leone; Major General Edward W. Tonini, Adjutant General Kentucky Army National Guard; Lt. General William E. Ward, USA, Retired, Inaugural Commander, U.S. Africa Command; Grand Basileus Tony Knox, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; State Representative Mike Denham; Mason County Judge-Executive James L. "Buddy" Gallenstein; Maysville Mayor David Cartmell; and Maysville Community and Technical College President Dr. Ed Story.
The Morehead Black Gospel Ensemble, Mason County High School Chorus, Mason County High School ROTC, Rev. Rodney Bennett, Millicent Harding, MCTC Director of Cultural Diversity Christy Berry and Peggy Overly will also participate in the public reception and the day's events.
The unveiling of the maquette in Mason County is part of a two-city tour in Kentucky, coordinated by the National Coalition of Black Veterans Organizations in conjunction with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Kentucky and Tennesse District. The tour is part of the ongoing campaign to raise public awareness about Young. It is expected the statue will be in Mason County for seven to 10 days on public display at a location to be named. The maquette will also be on display in Louisville at the Kentucky Center for African American Studies.
In June, Blatcher said the connection to the log cabin restoration project in May's Lick is the highlight of the Mason County stop.
A viewing of the restored cabin and maquette will begin at 1:30 p.m. Organizers have indicated there will be limited transportation from the church to the cabin by tour buses with a departure time of 1 p.m. The cabin is located at 6319 Helena Road, property owned by the Mason County Fiscal Court.
For more information, contact Millicent Harding via email at Millicent.Harding@kctcs.edu or 606-759-7141 ext. 66196.
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