The Detroit Parks Coalition’s Freedom Arts Festival is celebrating the Buffalo Soldiers on Saturday at Rouge Park with a family-friendly blues festival.

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The Buffalo Soldiers were an all-Black U.S. Army unit that made a name for themselves during the 19th century. The Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Association (BSHA) has kept the history of African Americans in the military alive by introducing youth in the community to horses housed in Rouge Park. In 2007, with support from the Friends of Rouge Park, BSHA worked out an agreement with city officials to operate the Rouge Park barn after the Detroit Police Mounted Division relocated. 

Read more: Detroit students follow the path of the Buffalo Soldiers in Yosemite

The Buffalo Soldiers and Blues Freedom Festival will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Rouge Park Horse Barn, 8886 Lahser Rd., Detroit. The free event will offer pony rides, games, food, and live music from Big Pete and Friends and others.

Friends of Rouge Park Program Director Lex Allen and Land Stewardship Manager Antonio Cosme joined The Metro on Thursday to discuss the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and how they’re being honored through this weekend’s event.

Use the media player above to hear the conversation with Allen and Cosme.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 3, 2024: 

• Vice Presidential Candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz met on Tuesday for their only scheduled debate of the 2024 election. Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump took the stage in September and are not likely to meet for another debate. We are 33 days away from the election and absentee voting has already started in Michigan. To discuss what young people are thinking about the election and the importance of local media today, freelance reporter Sam Robinson joined the show. 
• Some residents and experts believe that Detroit no longer needs to capture taxes to grow downtown since it is already developed. The Metro Producer Sam Corey spoke with Citizens Research Council of Michigan President Eric Lupher on a new report they published advocating for the phasing out of the tax capture practice.
• Last week, the Michigan House passed two bills that aim to improve reading instruction. They specifically would help schools identify and teach students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties. They would also require that public schools and teacher programs emphasize phonics to teach children to read. American Public Media Reporter Chris Peak joined the show to discuss the new bills. He investigated U.S. reading curriculum for the podcast “Sold a Story.”

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