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| Henry Gage Sr. |
After my second meeting with Milan, we had to cut short because he had a meeting right after with one of the AACSA's founders. On my way out I was lucky enough to be introduced to and have a conversation with Mr. Henry Gage Sr. As I sat down with Mr. Gage, he told me all about how he is a Buffalo Soldier and how he arrived in San Jose. A Buffalo Soldier is one who served in the Army's 92nd Infantry Division, which was made up of African Americans and was the last racially segregated unit in the US army. Buffalo Soldier is a term that Native Americans gave the black cavalry unit after the Civil War.
Mr. Gage Sr. returned from the Vietnam War at the age of twenty-two in 1967. He chose to retire in San Jose because of the educational institutions it had to offer, since he had four kids to educate. After he retired, he realized the San Jose educational system was not up to par as he had hoped. He spent fourteen years working for the East Side Union High School District trying to make a difference. He told me he changed Foothill Continuation School because no one was graduating until he stepped in.
In 1976, Henry Gage Sr. and about eight others formed the first board of the Antioch Baptist Church, across the street from the AACSA. Mr. Gage and a few other members of the church at that time discovered a vacant firehouse, and created a community center for African Americans, which is now present day AACSA. Ms. Inez Jackson was actually the person who discovered the firehouse and told Mr. Gage about it. The mission statements evolved from the Mexican American Heritage Plaza, which was just down the street. At this time, every community would have a center for themselves, and this was the start of a new community. Mr. Gage told me that, after thirty years, the organization is still loose and not fitting his vision, but he is not going to give it up. This is why he has meetings with people like Milan, to pass on his knowledge, visions, history and ideas.
When Mr. Gage and I said our goodbyes he handed me his business card, as he is also an author. He gave me two phone numbers to reach him on, and told me one was a "special phone number". His explanation is as follows:
332 is the fighter group number of one of the two "Tuskegee Airmen"
25 is the average age of the pilots
66 is how many pilots there were total
According to the U.S. Air Force, "The Tuskegee Airman were an elite group of African-American pilots in the 1940s. They were pioneers in equality and integration of the Armed Forces. The term "Tuskegee Airmen" refers to all who were involved in the Army Air Corps program to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen not only battled enemies during wartime but also fought against racism and segregation thus proving they were just as good as any other pilot. Racism was common during World War II and many people did not want blacks to become pilots. They trained in overcrowded classrooms and airstrips, and suffered from the racist attitude of some military officials. The Tuskegee Airman suffered many hardships, but they proved themselves to be world class pilots. Even though the Tuskegee Airmen proved their worth as military pilots they were still forced to operate in segregated units and did not fight alongside their white countrymen."
Tuskegee Airmen
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| The Buffalo Saga from "Memoirs of a World War II Buffalo Soldier" |
"Memoirs of a World War II Buffalo Soldier"is a similar story Mr. Gage's recollection of being a part of a racially segregated US Army during WWII. The story also gives an explanation of what a Buffalo Soldier is and what kind of ridicule and unjust treatment they endured."
Mr. Gage Sr. returned from the Vietnam War at the age of twenty-two in 1967. He chose to retire in San Jose because of the educational institutions it had to offer, since he had four kids to educate. After he retired, he realized the San Jose educational system was not up to par as he had hoped. He spent fourteen years working for the East Side Union High School District trying to make a difference. He told me he changed Foothill Continuation School because no one was graduating until he stepped in.
In 1976, Henry Gage Sr. and about eight others formed the first board of the Antioch Baptist Church, across the street from the AACSA. Mr. Gage and a few other members of the church at that time discovered a vacant firehouse, and created a community center for African Americans, which is now present day AACSA. Ms. Inez Jackson was actually the person who discovered the firehouse and told Mr. Gage about it. The mission statements evolved from the Mexican American Heritage Plaza, which was just down the street. At this time, every community would have a center for themselves, and this was the start of a new community. Mr. Gage told me that, after thirty years, the organization is still loose and not fitting his vision, but he is not going to give it up. This is why he has meetings with people like Milan, to pass on his knowledge, visions, history and ideas.
When Mr. Gage and I said our goodbyes he handed me his business card, as he is also an author. He gave me two phone numbers to reach him on, and told me one was a "special phone number". His explanation is as follows:
332 is the fighter group number of one of the two "Tuskegee Airmen"
25 is the average age of the pilots
66 is how many pilots there were total
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| Back side of Mr. Henry Gage Sr.'s Card |
Tuskegee Airmen
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| Tuskegee Airmen patch |
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| Tuskegee Airmen |
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