Representative Adriano Espaillat, Congressional Leaders Honor Harlem Hellfighters During Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony

WASHINGTON, DC - Today at 3:00 p.m. (EDT), Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) will join Congressional leadership and administration officials during a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the "Harlem Hellfighters," a segregated African American unit celebrated for their bravery and service in World War I.

Denied the chance to fight under American command because of discrimination, the Harlem Hellfighters were placed with French forces, where they spent 191 days on the front lines without losing a foot of ground or a man to capture. Their heroism earned them France's highest military honor, the Croix de Guerre.

Recognition in the United States came through legislation led by Reps. Espaillat, Tom Suozzi (NY) and Joyce Beatty (OH), the three co-sponsors of H.R. 3642, the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act. They will each speak during the ceremony as the regiment's legacy is permanently preserved with the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow.

Today's Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony will be livestreamed on YouTube and may be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/@SpeakerJohnson/streams.

###

Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government's vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at [email protected]