DENVER — Born into slavery and now considered a heroine many years after her death, the story of Cathay Williams continues to resonate.
155 years ago, Williams passed herself off as a man and became the first and only female Buffalo Soldier to serve in the U.S. Army.
Her act of secret defiance to serve the country that initially considered her a slave has forever established Williams as a righteous rebel in Colorado history books.
I’m absolutely fascinated with her story and often wonder how her plight so many years ago can be used to empower people today.
The lens of history tends to look at rule-breakers and those who buck the trends with a sense of awe and reverence, but of course, if we were to travel back to the day when William was discovered by a military doctor to be a woman, we would have likely seen scorn and resentment.
“The men all wanted to get rid of me after they found out I was a woman. Some of them acted real bad to me,” Williams told the St. Louis Daily Times in 1876.
For approximately two years, Williams went as “Williams Cathy,” and served as a Buffalo Soldier. Historians believe she likely saw battle.
In Trinidad, Colorado, where Williams eventually died, it is unknown where she is buried. It’s likely she received a pauper’s burial and an unmarked grave, considering the last years of her life were in poverty.
Today, there are people who are trying to keep her memory alive by raising funds to erect a statue in Williams’ honor.
Haskell Hooks, a Buffalo Soldier reenactor himself, has launched a GoFundMe page hoping to raise $50,000.
Hooks said he has the blessing of the community in Trinidad to erect a statue in the center of town if he’s able to raise the funds.
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