Members of the 102nd were presented with a proclamation by Miami-Dade County Military Affairs Board Director Nicolas Alex Jospitre, on behalf of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, declaring May 23, 2026, as United States Colored Troops Day. Pictured left to right: Nicholas Faulkner Jr., Jaycob Sneed, Nicolas Alex Jospitre, Maurice Imhoff, Latravion Gallegos and Collin Walker.
By ELIZABETH FERSZT
Contributing Writer
The 102nd Colored Troops of Jackson, led by their co-founder Maurice Imhoff participated in a nationally televised event in Miami, Florida Memorial Day weekend, May 23-24.
“Over 800,000 people attended the event (the Hyundai Air and Sea Show) — which was primarily an airshow but also had military displays and encampments along the beach,” Imhoff said.
“We actually camped on Miami Beach, in the heat,” he added. “We were the only group representing troops from the Civil War.”
In this iteration of the 102nd, more troops and members were added, including three females, “We expanded our program to get young women involved,” Imhoff said. “Two are white women who re-enact as schoolmarms, to teach the troops how to read maps, because most slaves can’t read,” Imhoff said. And the third young woman acts as an attendant to “cook and clean where they could.” Soldiers often encamped with their spouses or female family members who supported them in all matters of householding and nursing, in terms of historical accuracy, Imhoff said.
The event was broadcast live on Fox Nation, as “A National Salute: Memorial Day Celebration.” The 102nd performed a firing demonstration of their vintage replica rifles from 1863. “Even members of the U.S. military attending the event were excited to see us, to see how our weapons worked,” Imhoff said.
Because Florida’s role in the Civil War is often overlooked despite being a Confederate state, Imhoff said that that was part of the teaching piece. While the 102nd is based in Jackson Michigan, which has a steep history of Civil War involvement, “folks in south Florida have never been taught” about colored or negro troops participating in the Civil War, Imhoff explained. “Especially Black residents of Miami-Dade Counties” were pleased to see them. “We focus on Michigan, but it stands as a testament to smaller cities that we have an impact,” he said.
Imhoff also researched the real 102nd Colored Troops movements or engagements in the area. “Florida itself holds a significant place in the history of the United States Colored Troops. African American soldiers fought courageously in key engagements across the state, including the Battle of Olustee and operations around Baldwin, west of Jacksonville.Their service in Florida became part of the larger struggle that ultimately helped secure freedom and contribute to the end of slavery in the United States,” Imhoff wrote.
Imhoff said that due to the generosity of their benefactors and supporters, they were able to rent a large van to haul all their stuff, including rifles, flags, camp gear, tents, uniforms, and other weaponry and materials. It would have been cost-prohibitive to ship those items by land or air, if they had flown down to Florida. “We all drove down 20 hours plus, so we could bring our weapons,” he said.
The group performed Saturday, May 23 at 3 p.m., and Sunday, May 24 at 1:30 p.m., and drove back to Michigan on Monday.
His fellow marchers and reenactors included Jaycob Sneed, Latravion Gallegos, Nicholas Faulkner Jr., Collin Walker, Ashley Klockziem, Trinity Byrd, and Areia Backus. Some members of the group also presented and reenacted at the annual Civil War Muster at the Cascades in Jackson last year.
A press release from the event read: “The 102nd will present a fully immersive Civil War era living history encampment as part of the event’s military heritage display area on the beach. While representing Michigan’s historic African American regiment, the organization will also highlight the broader story of the United States Colored Troops nationwide. More than 180,000 African American men served in the Union Army during the Civil War, many of them formerly enslaved individuals who fought not only to preserve the Union but to secure freedom and citizenship for future generations.”
“Today, the 102nd carries forward this legacy as the nation’s largest student-led African American living history organization. Comprised primarily of middle school, high school, and college students, the group presents educational programming across the country through living history demonstrations and public engagement programs. Visitors attending the Hyundai Air & Sea Show are encouraged to stop by the 102nd United States Colored Troops encampment throughout Memorial Day weekend to experience an important chapter of American history while honoring the legacy of African American military service.”
This year’s Hyundai Air & Sea Show also featured an extraordinary lineup of military aviation demonstrations including aircraft flown by active pilots in the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force, and the U. S. Navy.
