Black History Month

2022 City of Portage Black History Month Celebration

On Saturday, February 5, The City of Portage hosted Shoshana Johnson, a second-generation Army Veteran and first Black female American POW at the Air Zoo as part of the annual Black History Month Celebration.

In 2003, Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson was traveling in a convoy while deployed in Iraq, when her vehicle was attacked. Iraqi forces killed 11 soldiers in her company and captured six, including Johnson. Shoshana retired from the Army and received an honorable discharge on December 12, 2003. Her awards and decorations include the US Army Service Ribbon, Army Commendation Ribbon, National Defense Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, and the Prisoner of War Medal. 

Johnson spoke about her story of survival and ended the evening with a Question & Answer session and book signing.

View the program video and a selection of photographs from the evening below.

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Portage Black History Month Presents:

Local Leaders Spotlight: “Highlighting the Black Experience with Personal Interviews and Demonstrations.”

To celebrate Black History Month in 2021, Portage Parks & Recreation asked community leaders to share their stories. Every Friday evening in February, a local African American leader walked us through their journey through personal interviews and demonstrations. 

Watch all four Local Leaders Spotlights below:

Little Known Facts About Black History

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