Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club Promotes Education, Charity

WILDWOOD – The Southern New Jersey Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club is part of the largest black motorcycle organization in the world, yet its purpose hits close to home.
Besides enjoying riding motorcycles together, members visit area schools, churches, civic organizations and veterans’ gatherings to talk about the history of the 9th and 10th Calvary Buffalo Soldiers and their importance in American history.
Edward “Chip” Harshaw, of Wildwood, president of the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers MC, said he’ll take any platform to talk about the African Americans of the 9th and 10th Calvary who sacrificed their lives so that the nation could be what it is today.
“We ride our motorcycles to represent the horses that were ridden by the Buffalo Soldiers during the 1800s. Our objective is to educate those that are unfamiliar with the racism, sacrifices, and hardships that the Buffalo Soldiers had to endure,” explained Harshaw, a retired history teacher whose last assignment was at Cape May County Technical High School.
Harshaw believes many of the contributions of African Americans to the making of America have intentionally been excluded from history books.
The former Wildwood Board of Education member has an upcoming speaking engagement for Women’s History Month.
“The first woman in a combat position in the military was a Buffalo Soldier, Cathey Williams. She joined the Army as a man using the name William Cathey. Despite being found out, she remained a soldier,” Harshaw said. “You won’t read about her in your high school history books.”
According to the chapter website, the history of the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Army Calvary began with “The Militia Act of July 17, 1862, allowed blacks to serve in the army. After many years of slavery in the United States, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, freeing all slaves. This document allowed the U.S. Army to openly recruit blacks for the 54th and 55th Regiments for the Civil War.
Escaped slaves saw the military as a chance to gain freedom, and free black men saw an opportunity to better their lives. A major inducement for enlistment was the prospect of learning how to read and write, skills taught by the regiments’ chaplains.
By the end of the Civil War, approximately 180,000 blacks had served In the Union Army. Of those, 33,380 died.
On July 28, 1866, Congress passed legislation allowing black soldiers to serve as peacetime soldiers in the army. The enrollment of blacks in the military, along with the Union’s victory In the Civil War, led to the formation of the Ninth Cavalry in New Orleans, under the command of Col. Edward Hatch. The Tenth Cavalry in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was led by Col. Benjamin Grierson.
Hatch and Grierson had problems finding white men to serve as officers. One who turned them down was then-Col. George Armstrong Custer, who opted to take command of a lower-ranking all-white unit instead of a unit in the 9th Cavalry.
Those two regiments performed many special tasks that helped in the development of the western and southwestern regions of the United States, despite facing many conflicts with Indians, neglect by the Army and racism from the citizens they helped protect.
The Buffalo Soldiers had endless problems finding presentable uniforms, functional weapons, food, and other supplies. Perhaps the greatest indignity forced upon them was the pitiful, crippled, discarded Civil War horses that they were assigned.
Many citizens exhibited prejudice toward the Buffalo Soldiers, despite their involvement in creating roads, railways, and telegraph lines throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, and Louisiana.” The heroic deeds of the soldiers continued through the 19th century.
Aaron Thomas is a probationary member and said he didn’t start serious learning about black history until after high school despite having Harshaw as a teacher in eighth grade.
“We reconnected 33 years later, and now I take our history seriously, and I’m working toward my center patch,” Thomas said.
Probationary members get their top and bottom rockers that identify them as Buffalo Soldiers of the Southern New Jersey chapter, but aren’t full members until they receive the center patch.
“We call the center patch “The Center Man” the representation of a Buffalo Soldier holding his sword. That patch is earned,” Harshaw said.
Harshaw said that besides keeping the legacy of the soldiers alive, they seek to promote good citizenship.
“We want to be more than just bike riders, we want to be role models to our community,” he said.
To fulfill that vision, the club does much charity work. Their biggest event is a fundraising comedy night to raise money to buy toys for needy families at Christmas.
This year’s event, in November, will be held at the Sheraton in Atlantic City.
“We outgrew our former venue. We needed a bigger showroom, and the Sheraton has rooms onsite,” Harshaw said, explaining that they are looking for well-known star to compliment the other comedians.
The event allows the soldiers to help many people.
“Each year we provide toys for 10 to 15 families at Christmas along with food and other needs. We work with T Wakes Restaurant in Egg Harbor Township to provide meals to people living in places where meals aren’t provided,” said Harshaw.
Despite taking time to keep the history of the Buffalo Soldiers alive and taking on charity work, the club does ride.
The biggest event for soldier clubs is Buffalo Thunder, where clubs from all over will ride into Washington, D.C. to visit the Black Civil War Museum.
“The first time I went Colin Powell was the guest speaker. 1,200 Buffalo Soldiers rode from FedEx Field, where the Redskins football team plays, to the museum. We passed many black churches along the way. Pastors paused their services so the congregation could come outside and wave. I’ll never forget that,” Harshaw said.
Women can join the club and Harshaw’s wife, Betty “Liberty” Harshaw, rides her bike when not teaching at Wildwood High School or running the Marbles Tournament on the beach in Wildwood each June.
In 2015, the Harshaws rode to the Buffalo Soldiers National Convention in New Mexico on his Honda Goldwing.
“We put a lot of miles on our bikes,” Harshaw said.