World War II heroes, the Navajo Code Talkers, will lecture on how as both Americans and Native Americans they were moved to serve their country and their experiences in combat around the Pacific. This event will take place on Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m. in the College Chapel. The lecture, sponsored by the Voices of Color Lecture Series, is free and open to the public.
The Navajo Code Talkers played a pivotal role in the U.S. victory in the Pacific in World War II. In addition to their courage as warriors, their native dialect was the basis for an extremely successful combat communications code used by the U.S. Marine Corps. The Navajos' unwritten language was understood outside the tribe by fewer than 30 non-Navajos at the time of World War II. The size and complexity of the language made the code extremely difficult to comprehend. Despite prior Japanese successes in code-breaking, the Navajo code, transmitted only by Navajo Marines, defied them. In fact, the code remained secret until its declassification in 1968, more than two decades after the Allied victory.
The Voices of Color Lecture Series was established to recognize and honor Christine Johnson, former director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program at Hamilton College. The series provides a forum for the education and exchange of ideas from prominent and reputable persons of color in academia and beyond. In addition, the Voices of Color Lecture Series sets a precedent for diversity initiatives that can be modeled at other higher education institutions.
