Visible Men Academy to Kick off Black History Month with Veterans Tribute

Visible Men Academy, a Bradenton-based school that provides boys with strong academic, character, and social education, is proud to kick off Black History Month with a Celebration of Veterans event on Saturday, Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.. This date is also known as “National Freedom Day," or the day in 1865 in which Abraham Lincoln signed the resolution to outlaw slavery.

When asked, "What does freedom mean to you?" a first grader responded, “…people being nice to each other, and being friends with everybody.”

Visible Men Academy has been working closely with its community partner the Family Heritage House Museum on the details of this event. The Family Heritage House Museum, led by Museum Specialist Kathie Marsh, is a gallery and resource center for African American Achievement in the Bradenton/Sarasota region.

The gallery will unveil a new installation of Black Veteran pieces for the upcoming event and has been instrumental in collaborating on this project. This installation features personal artifacts from local veterans from well known groups, such as the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen as well as lesser-known groups like the Montford Marines and the 555th “Triple Nickels” Parachute Infantry.

A significant part of Visible Men Academy’s mission is to foster in its students a desire to dream and plan for their futures.

“As a school community that values diversity and celebrates minority achievement and role models, we are particularly honored to have been selected to be a Legacy of Valor Partner this year,” said Neil Phillips, founder and principal of VMA. “We are committed to introducing our VMA students (referred to as SUNS) to positive role models and consider the celebration of veterans to be fully aligned with this mission."

Together, let’s show our respect for local veterans and the principles of sacrifice, service and freedom!