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American Military artifacts in the world. It is located in the heart of Houston’s museum district and has been a water- mark of the city for the past 19 years. “Between 35,000 to 50,000 people come to the museum each year,” Mat- thews revealed, before adding, “Since we opened, we’ve hosted more than 500,000 visitors at the museum from all over the world. We have visitors from Germany, France, England, and all across the US.” The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum began in a small 3,500-square- foot office building and has evolved into a 23,000-square-foot facility. It is the former Houston Light Guard Armory, which was built in 1925. The building has been restored while maintaining its original architectural features to solidify its place as an iconic registered Houston landmark. Matthews went on to note that the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum has also played a role during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing resources to the community. “During the current cultural cli- mate, it is more apparent than ever that our country needs institutions like the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum to serve as a resource for education and conversations of diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation, and that’s what we’ve done,” Matthews said. The museum, according to Mat- thews, is important for people today because it exposes them to the contri- butions of African American heroes.
In fact, the museum features exhibits extending from the Indian Wars to the modern-day astronauts, giving visitors a glimpse of little-known American history as well as the gateway to the future. Along with a historical perspective, programming includes exhibits/work- shops that focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Ad- ditionally, the museum serves as a learn- ing institution through its student/intern partnership with Houston Community College and the University of Houston. “One thing that I am very proud that we’ve been able to do through the Buf- falo Soldiers National Museum is that more than 25,000 students have been inducted as spiritual descendants of the Buffalo Soldiers. They take an oath of honor, valor, and courage, and we go out to the schools, churches, and different organizations.” Matthews said that there are three ways to become a descendent of the
Buffalo Soldiers. “You can be a bloodline descendant, which means that you’re a relative,” Mat- thews said. “You can be a regimental de- scendant, which means that you served in a unit that came out of the original units. Or you can be like me and 25,000 students in the Greater Houston area; you can be a spiritual descendant. And to be that spiritual descendant, you take a pledge of honor, valor, and courage. That’s a very powerful thing to hear the students talking about honor and valor and courage, considering all the other things that they can be talking about.”
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