Strickland, Conaway, Reintroduce Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medal to Buffalo Soldiers

Office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland press release.

Congressmembers Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and Herb Conaway Jr., M.D. (NJ-03) reintroduced the Buffalo Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2025 to honor the Buffalo Soldiers and their tremendous contributions and sacrifice to our country.

“The fierceness and tenacity of the Buffalo Soldiers underscored their essential role as patriots who influenced our nation,” said Congresswoman Strickland. “Approximately 40,000 Buffalo Soldiers fought to protect American freedoms and ideals, even as they faced discrimination as Black Americans who served our nation. It is well past time to honor and thank them posthumously with a much-deserved Congressional Gold Medal.”

“The Buffalo Soldiers embodied resilience, courage, and an unwavering commitment to service in the face of injustice,” said Congressman Conaway. “Their sacrifices helped shape our nation’s history, and I am proud to represent the 24th Infantry Regimental Combat Team. For the men and women who made up the Buffalo Soldier regiments, it is long past time that we recognize their valor with a Congressional Gold Medal. This legislation ensures that their legacy is honored and remembered for generations to come, and I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill.”

Read the text of the bill here.

BACKGROUND:

In 1866, Congress created six all-Black peacetime regiments to protect settlers, build roads and other infrastructure, and guard U.S. mail in the Western frontier. Buffalo Soldiers would go on to serve in military operations including the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

The Buffalo soldiers’ impact reached across the country as the U.S. forged its national parks. They not only served in combat and as protectors around the country, but they also broke down barriers and demanded civil rights. The all-Black regiments served during a time of segregation in the U.S. military, and faced bigotry and discrimination, often from those they were assigned to protect.