Forgotten the book

Forgotten at Columbia U Paris campus

Columbia University's Loren Wolfe and Robert O'Meally join Linda in Paris. 

Paris has always been a haven for Americans, including Americans of color. This week in Paris we are celebrating African-American history with a series of talks and tributes. The centerpiece is extraordinary exhibition, The Color Line, which tells the story of black America and segregation through art. It is a stunning collection of works, many that I was seeing for the first time. Check it out before it closes Jan. 5, 2017. 

I was happy to be invited to speak about my book FORGOTTEN at Reid Hall at Columbia University's campus in Montparnasse. Thanks to Brian Spence at Abbey Books in the 5th arrondissement for selling books to all who came. 

 

Remembering the black GIs in Wales

Linda Hervieux posing for photos with Welsh historian Neil Sinclair at Trinity Methodist Church, Abersychan, Wales. 

The months the men of FORGOTTEN spent training in the villages of Wales before D-Day left a lasting impression. For the black GIs of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, it was the first time in their lives they were welcomed as men, worthy of respect, just like the white Americans soldiers. To the Welsh, it was a brush with foreigners that they would never forget. For most of them, it was the first time they had men people of color. The black GIs -- the "tan Yanks" as they were affectionately called -- were the talk of the towns ringing Pontypool, Wales. 

At an event on Sept. 24 to commemorate the black soldiers, historians, descendants of the soldiers, local residents and descendants of the families who welcomed the African Americans gathered at Trinity Methodist Church in Abersychan. Some of the men of FORGOTTEN like Wilson Monk were billeted there in early 1944. I was honored to be a part of the ceremony organized by the BBC to remember the black soldiers. Footage will be used in the upcoming series Black in Britain, set to air in November. The plaque affixed to the church wall behind me and historian Neil Sinclair honors the black soldiers. I'm looking forward to returning to the area on December 10 for a launch at the Pontypool Museum. See my events.