Each November, the UCF College of Arts and Humanities honors veterans with events such as lectures, plays and ceremonies, as well as initiatives like the Veterans History Project, macrame’d trees and flag displays. This year looks a little different due to COVID-19, but the college and university will still be honoring our veterans in safe events and initiatives.
Please join us throughout the month as we honor the people who have fought and served for our country. Events that the UCF and Central Florida community can join to help us honor our veterans include:
Veterans Flag Week
Monday, November 9, 2020 8 a.m. to Friday, November 13 at noon
Volunteers are placing more than 1,500 American flags on Memory Mall for viewing throughout the week. Each flag represents one UCF Student Veteran attending the university for the fall semester. This event is sponsored by the Veterans Academic Resource Center with support from the UCF Community Veterans History Project.
Virtual Veterans History Project Interview Days
Monday, November 9, 2020 to Friday, November 20, 2020
The UCF Community Veterans History Project is conducting virtual interviews in its ongoing effort to serve the Central Florida veteran community by digitally preserving their stories for future generations. Over 600 Central Florida veterans have participated in the project by sharing and archiving their experiences. Veterans interested in sharing their stories can register at https://richesvhp.cah.ucf.edu/register/.
Virtual Flag Raising Ceremony & Veterans Salute
Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 10 a.m. Postponed due to weather
Black Veterans Matter: The Long March Home
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This virtual event will explore the lives of African American veterans, their trials and triumphs when they returned from war. The event is free and open to the public. Register at https://ucf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_U3YX2BdfSGS8tgn-8Ubp5w.
UCF Associate Professor of History Barbara Gannon will provide opening remarks. Holly Pinheiro from Augusta University will present “The Families’ Cause: The Struggles of USCT Kin,” discussing the complexity of life for northern freeborn African American families directly connected to United States Colored Troops from 1850 to 1920. Le Trice Donaldson from the University of Wisconsin-Stout will present “Vanguards of a Movement,” framing the Black Veteran of WWI key to the new radicalism emerging in the early 1920s in the Garveyite and “New Negro” movements. Douglas Bristol from the University of Southern Mississippi will present “Changed Men: Black Veterans and Post War Opportunity.”
Additionally, faculty are involved in research and community projects in support of veterans, including:
- Department of History Lecturer David Head wrote about how views of veterans have evolved since the Revolutionary War at https://www.ucf.edu/news/we-must-be-vigilant-to-preserve-proper-respect-for-our-veterans/
- Art professor Kevin Haran is teaching art to local veterans as an outlet to help cope with pain, addiction and homelessness.
- The 2020 NEA Big Read: Central Florida hosted a series of talks themed around The Things They Carried. The talks are available for viewing at https://bigread.cah.ucf.edu/big-read-2020.