CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Dr. E. Curtis Alexander has dedicated his life to preserving the history of the U.S. Colored Troops, whose contributions during the Civil War ensured the Union’s victory—and the end of slavery in America.
“This history can never be forgotten; it should never be forgotten,” Dr. Alexander said during a Memorial Day event he hosted Monday in the historic Bells Mill community of Chesapeake.
Dr. Alexander’s great-grandfather, March Corprew, served as a sergeant in the United States Colored Troops. He was among more than 200,000 enslaved people who enlisted during the Civil War. Many of those men, including Corprew, were from Hampton Roads. Their contributions ensured the Union's defeat of the Confederacy.
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Seven years after the war, Corprew purchased land on Bells Mill Road in Chesapeake with money he earned from farming. His headstone remains on that land—the same land Dr. Alexander roamed as a child. More than 20 years ago, Dr. Alexander created the Unknown and Known Afro Union Civil War Soldiers Memorial on the land.
Dr. Alexander first walked me through the memorial site in 2022.
“We have these men to thank, as well as so many names that we don't know, for the freedom America enjoys today,” I said during our 2022 conversation.
“Good point,” he replied. “[The freedom] America enjoys. History can't change that.”
In 2023, Dr. Alexander’s son Kwame, a world-renowned author, joined us at the memorial site to reflect on how Sgt. Corprew’s legacy inspired Kwame’s award-winning book, “The Undefeated.”
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“When you're sitting under history, you have a responsibility to stand up, spread your branches, and live what's possible,” Kwame Alexander said.
On Monday, during Dr. Alexander’s annual Memorial Day event to honor the U.S. Colored Troops and their descendants, I surprised Dr. Alexander with an Everyday Hero Award.
“I can’t believe it,” Dr. Alexander said.
News 3’s community partner Southern Bank also celebrated Dr. Alexander with a $300 gift card.
“I can’t thank you enough,” he said.
If you know someone like Dr. Alexander who is going above and beyond to serve others in our community, please nominate them for a News 3 Everyday Hero Award.
