City of Tucson Celebrates Black History Month with Flag Raising Ceremony at the Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Plaza

Join City of Tucson Ward 5 Council Member Richard Fimbres, the Greater Southern Arizona Area Chapter (GSAAC) of the Buffalo Soldiers, and Tucson Parks and Recreation at a flag raising ceremony in honor of Black History Month and the culmination of the Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Plaza project.  

“This will be a very historic day, and I am very proud of the work the GSAAC and I had done to get this projected funded and completed at the Quincie Douglas Neighborhood Center,” said Ward 5 Council Member Richard Fimbres. “February 25 will mark a great day for Tucson with the raising of the unit's flags for the brave and heroic Buffalo Soldiers and marking seven years of work taking this from a dream to reality. I want to thank the good citizens of Tucson who voted to approve Proposition 407, for which this project was a part of, Jon Covington for attending the County and City hearings and speaking in support, the project committee and the GSAAC for their work on this, and my colleagues on the City Council for their support.”  

The memorial was unveiled in May 2021 and was the first voter-approved one of its kind, honoring the contributions of Black Americans in defense of the nation and settling Southern Arizona. 

“The installation of the flagpoles that will display the unit flags of the 9th and 10th Calvary Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments is a welcome addition to the Tucson Buffalo Soldier Memorial,” said Trooper Lee Easter Jr., president of GSAAC. 

The memorial was funded through donations to the GSAAC of the Buffalo Soldiers and funds from Tucson Delivers Parks + Connections 2018 voter-approved bond program. 

Date: Friday, Feb. 25, at 10 a.m. 

Location: Quincie Douglas Center, 1575 E. 36th St. 

Masks and physical distancing will be required. A livestream of the event will be shown on the Tucson Parks and Recreation Facebook page. For more information on the bond projects, visit the Tucson Delivers Parks + Connections website. For more information on the rich history of the GSAAC of the Buffalo Soldiers, visit their website.