Sunday, January 19 – Mercer County
Needham Roberts – Trenton’s Own War Hero
Learn about the Harlem Hellfighter who was
the first American to be given the Croix de Guerre
The Trent House Association presents Needham Roberts – Trenton’s Own World War I Hero in a talk about the life and times of this African American Trenton native in an era of racial tension and injustice. The program will begin at 2 pm on Sunday, January 19, 2020, at the William Trent House Museum, 15 Market Street (across from the Hughes Justice Complex), Trenton, NJ 08611.
Born and raised in Trenton, Needham Roberts was 17 when he enlisted in the Harlem Hellfighters. He and his fellow Hellfighter William Johnson were awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Purple Heart for their actions fighting off a German patrol in France in 1918. Regardless of these achievements, they and their fellow African American soldiers returned to the United States to face discrimination and prejudice.
Trenton resident Algernon Ward, well known for his many roles as African American soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the World Wars, presents a fascinating portrait of Roberts in the context of race relations in America during the Jim Crow era. His illustrated talk is accompanied by a display of Army uniforms and military equipment of the time.
