On the heels of the Trump administration's renaming the Louisiana fort that honored Albany World War I hero Henry Johnson, local officials on Tuesday announced plans to rename an Albany landmark in Johnson’s honor.
In 2023, Louisiana's Fort Polk, named after slave owner and Confederate general Leonidas Polk, was renamed Fort Johnson in honor of Albany’s own Henry Johnson, a Black Medal of Honor recipient.
The Trump administration is changing base names back, and Fort Johnson will once again be Fort Polk, although it will honor World War II Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk instead of the Confederate general.
46th District New York Senator Pat Fahy, a Democrat, says that news "felt like a gut punch." "It is shameless, and it is it's, you have to call it what it is. This is clearly trying to whitewash the history, clearly a complete dishonor to any, in this case, an African American soldier, where almost 100 years to reclaim that and then to have it just washed away, practically overnight," Fahy said.
To help re-stake claim to that legacy, Fahy, Assembly colleagues Gabriella Romero of the 109th and John McDonald of the 108th, along with Republican Senator Jake Ashby of the 43rd district, have introduced legislation that would rename the Patroon Island Bridge after Johnson.
In a shared statement, the four officials noted that the Dutch Patroons who settled the region "procured and exploited enslaved people" with part of the majority of those enslaved living in Albany and Rensselaer counties.
Ashby said changing the name of the Hudson River span that connects Albany and Rensselaer would give Johnson recognition he deserves.
"It took nearly a century for Sergeant Johnson to receive his medal of honor," Ashby said. "He received the Croix de Guerre in 1918 so it took the French government a lot less time to recognize his acts of valor and his choice to serve 31 years before the military was desegregated, 47 years before the Civil Rights Act. Think about that. It's an important piece of history to juxtapose where we are now and why it's so important to continue to honor him here."
Johnson, who settled in Albany as a teenager, suffered 21 wounds serving under French command because of the racial divide of the time. Back home in New York, severely wounded from combat, Johnson died impoverished in 1929. Jackie Jones is the commander of the North Albany American Legion, post 1610.
"This is not just about politics," Jones said. "It's about principle. It's about truth and it's about justice. Let this bridge renaming be more than just a gesture. Let it be a statement. Let it be a step forward. Let it be a call to action. Speak up. Stand with us, as our Senate and elected officials have decided to do in New York State, and make sure Sergeant Henry Johnson's legacy is not just remembered, but respected, preserved and never erased again."
McDonald says the Senate and Assembly will look to pass the measure into law sometime during the first quarter of 2026. "Once it's signed into law, within one or two months’ time the signs go up," he said.
Legislators have been working with the New York state Department of Transportation to place signage.
McDonald adds that Johnson's heroic efforts reflect Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, qualities he says have made America strong.
