[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15964-15965]
[From the U.S. 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 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

[[Page 15965]]

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 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.

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