[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 151 (Thursday, November 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1837-E1839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING HARLEM'S HISTORIAN AND BLACK FILMMAKER WILLIAM ``BILL'' MILES
______
HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL
of new york
in the house of representatives
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of
Harlem's historian and Black Filmmaker, William ``Bill'' Miles. William
Miles was born in Harlem, New York, and has used his deep knowledge and
experience of Harlem to produce films that tell unique and
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often inspiring stories of Harlem's history. Based in New York City at
THIRTEEN/WNET New York Public Media, William Miles produced many films
dedicated to the African-American experience that have been broadcast
nationwide over the Public Broadcast System, PBS. Bill Miles' interest
in creating historical documentaries was nurtured through 25 years of
restoring archival films and early feature classics for Killiam Shows,
Inc. and the Walter Reade Organization in New York City.
Bill Miles breakthrough film was Men of Bronze, which opened at the
New York Film Festival in 1977 and was later broadcast on PBS. This
film tells the story of the black American soldiers of the 369th
Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, who, because of
segregation in the U.S. Army, fought under the French flag in World War
I. The regiment spent more time in the front-line trenches than any
other American unit, fighting alongside French, Moroccan, and
Senegalese soldiers. First organized in 1916 as the 15th New York
National Guard Infantry Regiment and manned by black enlisted soldiers
with both black and white officers, the 369th Infantry is known for
being the first African-American regiment to serve with the American
Expeditionary Force during World War I. The regiment was nicknamed the
Harlem Hellfighters and the Black Rattlers, in addition to several
other nicknames. Federalized in 1917, it prepared for service in Europe
and arrived in Brest in December. The next month, the regiment became
part of the 93rd Division (Provisional) and continued its training, now
under French instructors. In March, the regiment finally received its
Federal designation and was reorganized and reequipped according to the
French model. That summer, the 369th was integrated into the French
161st Division and began combat operations. Dubbing themselves ``Men of
Bronze,'' the soldiers of the 369th were lucky in many ways compared to
other African Americans in 1918 France. They enjoyed a continuity of
leadership, commanded throughout the war by one of their original
organizers and proponents, Colonel William Hayward. Unlike many white
officers serving in the black regiments, Colonel Hayward respected his
troops, dedicated himself to their well-being, and leveraged his
political connections to secure support from New Yorkers. Spending over
six months in combat, perhaps the longest of any American unit in the
war, the 369th suffered approximately fifteen hundred casualties but
received only nine hundred replacements. Unit histories claimed they
were the first unit to cross the Rhine; they performed well at Chateau-
Thierry and Belleau Wood, earning the epithet ``Hell Fighters'' from
their enemies. Exhibiting extraordinary valor, the 369th, an integral
part of the Fourth French Army, fought on the front until the
Armistice. During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive the 369th showed
exceptional bravery, especially on September 29, 1918, during the
liberation of Sechault, when a third of the regiment suffered
casualties. Whereas African American valor usually went unrecognized,
during its service, the regiment suffered 1500 casualties and took part
in the following campaigns: Champagne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Champagne
1918 and Alsace 1918. One Medal of Honor and many Distinguished Service
Crosses were awarded to members of the regiment. The most celebrated
man in the 369th was Pvt. Henry Lincoln Johnson, a former Albany, New
York, rail station porter, who earned the nickname ``Black Death'' for
his actions in combat in France. In May 1918, Johnson and Pvt. Needham
Roberts fought off a 24-man German patrol, though both were severely
wounded. After they expended their ammunition, Roberts used his rifle
as a club and Johnson battled with a bolo knife. Johnson was the first
American to receive the Croix de Guerre (Cross of War) awarded by the
French government. By the end of the war, 171 members of the 369th were
cited for their heroism and decorated with the Croix de Guerre and
Legion of Honor. Upon their return to the United States, the Harlem
Hellfighters were honored by the City with a victory parade up Fifth
Avenue. During World War II, the 369th distinguished itself at Okinawa,
and later fought in the Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf Wars and the War
on Terror in Afghanistan. The unit serves today as the 369th
Sustainment Brigade.
Mr. Speaker, as a Korean War Veteran and Member of the 369th Harlem
Hellfighters Veterans' Association, I included this comprehensive
history of the 369th Regiment as documented in film by our beloved
William ``Bill'' Miles because these brave Men of Bronze were game
changers that fought as proud Americans to protect and serve our
nation.
As I continue to talk about the great work of my dear friend
filmmaker Bill Miles, I must also recognize his best known artistic
documentary, I Remember Harlem, a four part comprehensive series, which
chronicles the history and changes of the Village of Harlem and changes
from its beginnings in the early 1600s through the early 1980s. The
program's episodes include segments on Harlem's early history and
settlement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression in Harlem, the
Civil Rights Movement and political activism in the era of Malcolm X,
and the problems and redevelopment of the '70s. Miles spent three years
researching materials for I Remember Harlem, which traced Harlem's 350-
year history. As a visual counter to the oral histories in the film,
Miles unearthed archival photographs and motion picture stock footage
along with newsreel films, much of it rare and never before seen by the
general public. In early 1982, one year after it was broadcast, I
Remember Harlem won an Alfred I. DuPont Columbia University citation
and an American Film Festival Award.
Bill Miles, president of Miles Educational Film Productions, Inc.
produced and directed The Different Drummer: Blacks in the Military
(1983) concentrated on African-American soldiers in recent decades. A
three-part documentary that explores the history of blacks in the
American Armed Forces. Part One, ``Unknown Soldiers,'' examines the
earliest black involvement in the military, from the Civil War to World
War I; Part Two, ``The Troops,'' continues that history from World War
II to the war in Vietnam; Part Three, ``From Gold Bars to Silver
Stars,'' features interviews with today's highest-ranking black
officers, who describe their how they rose up the military ladder.
Miles's three-part program Black Champions (1986) dealt with a three-
part chronicle of the historic achievements by black athletes in
America. The documentary uses rare archival footage to illustrate how
many black champions, both famous and little-known, successfully
challenged racism to achieve a level of prominence almost always denied
them in other areas of American life. ``Who Will Wear the Crown?''
(Part One) examines early black participation in sports, focusing on
the athletic departments of segregated Negro colleges during the first
half of the century. ``New Times: The Integration of American Sports''
(Part Two) explores black pioneers who became superstars in the white
sports arena. ``Looking For Tomorrow: Black Athletes and the Sporting
Life'' (Part Three) focuses on the world of corporate sports and the
financial and emotional pressures facing black superstars. Important
topics included the impressive performances of various black athletes
at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jackie Robinson's integration of Major
League Baseball, Althea Gibson's achievements in tennis, and the
careers of early black football stars.
Miles co-produced the film on literary legend James Baldwin: The
Price of a Ticket, which debuted in 1989 as an episode of PBS's
American Masters series. James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
captures on film the passionate intellect and courageous writing of a
man who was born black, impoverished, gay and gifted, by using striking
archival footage to evoke the atmosphere of Baldwin's formative years--
the Harlem of the 30s, his father's fundamentalist church and the
emigre demimonde of postwar Paris. Newsreel clips from the '60's record
Baldwin's running commentary on the drama of the Civil Rights movement.
The film also explores his quiet retreats in Paris, the South of
France, Istanbul and Switzerland--places where Baldwin was able to
write away from the racial tensions of America. Writers Maya Angelou,
Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, William Styron and biographer David Leeming
place Baldwin's work in the African-American literary tradition--from
slave narratives and black preaching to their own contemporary work.
The film skillfully links excerpts from Baldwin's major books--Go Tell
it on the Mountain, Notes of a Native Son, Another Country, The Fire
Next Time, Blues for Mister Charlie, If Beale Street Could Talk--to
different stages in Black-white dialogue and conflict.
Bill directed Black Stars in Orbit (1990), a documentary that
profiles black astronauts and the contributions of African-Americans
who worked behind the scenes in the NASA Space Program, featuring
Edward J Dwight Jr., Ronald E McNair, Frederick D. Gregory, Patricia S.
Cowings, Isaac T. Gilliam, IV, Guion S. Bluford, Jr., Charles F.
Bolden, Jr., Mae C. Jemison, Robert H. Lawrence, Jr. Robert E. Shurney,
Lee Archer, Jr. and George Carruthers.
Black Stars in Orbit was followed by Liberators: Fighting on Two
Fronts in World War II (1992), which Miles co-produced with Nina
Rosenblum. Liberators, featuring actors Denzel Washington, Louis
Gossett Jr. and Leon Bass is a documentary film account about Black
American soldiers in World War II who combated racism in the segregated
military and on the home front. In April 1945, some Black American
soldiers were among the first `liberators' to enter Nazi death camps,
encountering the survivors described by one GI as ``walking
skeletons.''
Bill Miles and Nina Rosenblum collaborated and co-directed, The Black
West, which is part of a three-volume series of the TBS Emmy award-
winning film and Cable Ace nominee series, The Untold West. Narrated by
Actor
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Danny Glover, The Black West episode depicts the story of African
Americans of the early western frontier of the late 19th century. The
segment salutes the black cowboys of the western wilderness who fought
alongside their Native American and white counterparts during the
development of the frontier. The contributions of these nearly
forgotten African-Americans are portrayed through realistic re-
enactments, including a special segment on cowboy Bill Pickett, one of
the best rodeo performers of all time.
Mr. Speaker, Bill Miles' life's work is dedicated to exploring the
entire African American Experience including the history, culture and
achievements of African Americans from their arrival in America in the
16th century to their achievement as astronauts, aeronautical
scientists, and engineers. Mr. Miles has won an Emmy Award, has been
nominated for the Oscar, and was inducted into the Black Filmmaker's
Hall of Fame. Among numerous other awards garnered both at home and
abroad, he has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Association for Independent Video and Filmmakers, AIVF in
acknowledgment of his outstanding contribution to the history of
African American in the medium of film. I ask you and my colleagues to
join me in a very special congressional salute to Harlem's Historian
and Black Filmmaker William ``Bill'' Miles, a titan of a man who has
documented the history and contributions of African Americans and the
Black American Experience with film, a camera and a lens.
____________________