References to Richmond’s Leigh Street Armory — a landmark of Black history in the city — were removed from the Virginia National Guard’s website as part of the Pentagon’s purge of content highlighting diversity, equity and inclusion.
The two-story brick building, constructed in 1895 in historic Jackson Ward, is believed to be the oldest United States armory for a Black militia, the First Battalion Virginia Volunteers.
A photo gallery of the armory and article detailing its role in Virginia National Guard history were taken down after the US Defense Department directed the removal of all online content promoting DEI in the military by March 5, VANG spokesperson Cotton Puryear confirmed to VPM News.
The Leigh Street Armory, also known as the First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory, has served multiple functions since its construction. It now houses the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.
Shakia Gullette Warren, the museum’s executive director, said in a statement that she doesn’t know why the information was removed.
“To the best of our knowledge, the information about the armory on the website was part of the historical record,” Warren said.
These pages are among an unknown number of posts and images dedicated to honoring Black history and minorities who served in the US military that have or could be purged under the federal directive, according to The Associated Press.
The Pentagon’s memo calls for units across DOD to remove and archive “DEI content” from all websites and social media pages. This includes articles focusing on race, but not content that’s required to be posted — such as base conditions and historical leadership biographies.
In an email Wednesday, Puryear reiterated to VPM News that “the content was removed in accordance with the DOD guidance.”
On Monday, a press contact for the US Defense Department referred VPM News to VANG about the removals. Puryear confirmed the pages had been taken down, but then referred all questions back to the federal government.
The Leigh Street Armory was once a segregated school for Black children, a reception center during World War II for Black soldiers and an educational center. The structure was added to both the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register in 2009.
“The building represents a key chapter in the history of African American military service and community building,” Warren told VPM News. “The removal of a webpage does not diminish the historical value of this important landmark.”
The Pentagon’s order led to the removal of other historical articles from the Virginia National Guard's website, including content about Virginia’s Fort Pickett being renamed Fort Barfoot in 2023. The US Army did not remove the redesignation announcement from its site.
Col. Van T. Barfoot, a Native American soldier who lived in Central Virginia, received the Medal of Honor, the US military’s highest honor, for his service in World War II. George Pickett was a Confederate Army general who led a failed attack during the Battle of Gettysburg.
The removals follow other actions from President Donald Trump’s administration targeting DEI — which have led state institutions to change, obscure or remove existing diversity initiatives.
Richmond City Council Vice President Katherine Jordan, who represents where the building is located, said she’s thankful the Black History Museum will keep the militia and armory’s memory alive “when history is being erased nationwide.”
“With the real and pressing issues facing our country, and the sustained need to recruit into our armed services, I cannot imagine a justification for the time spent removing this information,” Jordan wrote in an email.
Roice D. Luke, a professor emeritus of health administration at Virginia Commonwealth University, co-authored a 2018 book on the Leigh Street Armory.
“The militias were a source of great prestige and pride,” Luke said in an interview with VPM News, adding that it was a “crucial period after the Civil War when militias were built up to protect the cities.”
Black battalions were removed from Virginia’s militia four years after the armory was built, leading it to be converted into the Monroe School for Black children in Jackson Ward for 40 years.
With the National Defense Act of 1916, “state militias were renamed as National Guards,” according to the National Guard’s website. After these changes, “no black Soldiers served in the Virginia National Guard until the 1960s,” per the VANG.
“The legacy of the First Virginia Volunteers is a part of that rich history, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to preserving it,” Warren said in her statement. “Black history is American history -- that is a fact that cannot be denied or deleted."
