Colonel Charles Young memorial

A polished black marble column, about 6' tall. The top of the column is rough and untreated, but the smooth, glossy sides are engraved with text and images of Colonel Charles Young. The bricks in the ground curve upward and form the base of the pillar, as if holding the monument off the Earth.

Colonel Young was the third ever African American to graduate from West Point. For his entire career (both military and professorial) he faced every obstacle one could, due to his race. He was not allowed to command white troops or teach at integrated schools for years. But despite the constant battles with superiors, peers, and civilians, Young climbed the ranks and eventually died, in 1922, a Colonel. His honored body was buried in Arlington National Cemetery alongside countless other heroes. He blazed a trail for African Americans in and out of the military with his tenacious drive for success.

This monument was dedicated by the Omega Phi Psi Fraternity.