On Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 1:00 pm, the Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group held its annual Black History Month Program. The program featured Buffalo Soldier Historian, Jay M. Collins, who currently serves as President of the Buffalo Soldier Mounted Calvary Unit
(BSMCU), founded in 2014 in California. Collins’ presentation addressed the historical contributions of the Black soldiers who helped to
build America and settle the Western frontier. He discussed Military, Western, and Buffalo Soldier History, including the theories on how the regiments became known as Buffalo Soldiers.

The Buffalo Soldiers (six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments) were created in 1866 after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Collins explored the soldiers’ roles in protecting settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains, and railroad crews on the Western frontier. This
westward expansion sometimes placed them in conflict with Native American populations whose lands were being confiscated. The study of the Buffalo Soldiers continues to provoke conversations about their complex and storied legacy.

Retired from a law enforcement career with the LAPD and the LAXPD, Collins shared highlights from parades and other activities of the BSMCU, which works to preserve the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers. Members of the local Alexander/Madison Chapter of the KC Buffalo Soldiers were also in attendance and added to an engaging and informative discussion.