National Museum of the U.S. Navy

From serving as a ship repair facility to functioning as an naval weapons and ordnance production plant, the Washington Navy Yard, one of the U.S. Navy's oldest shore establishments, has been an important  support facility for the fleet, since the Yard's establishment in 1799. Ultimately, the Yard's strength resides in the people who have worked there. In this presentation, Edward Valentin will offer a broad overview of the Yard's history and discuss the stories of European immigrants, Black Americans, women, and others who were an intricate part of the Yard's success.

About the Speaker: Edward Valentin Jr. received his Bachelor of Science in history from the United States Military Academy in 2010 and his doctorate in history from Rice University in May 2020. In 2016, Dr. Valentin began working at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas as an assistant curator. Since July 2020, he has worked as a curator at the National Museum of the United States Navy. His research area focuses on race and identity in the U.S. military, and his work has appeared in the scholarly journal, Civil War History. He is working on a book manuscript, Black Men in Army Blue: Race, Citizenship, and Military Occupation, 1866-1900, currently under a publishing contract with the University of Virginia Press.