Black Excellence

Asbury Park High School: Black History Month 2026

To celebrate Black History Month, VFW veterans Wilbur V. Martin and George Reed to share and provide their historical experiences.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 17, 2026

David Wronko

David Wronko

To celebrate Black History Month, Mr. David Wronko invited VFW veterans Wilbur V. Martin and George Reed to share and provide their historical experiences.

VFW Visit with Student Presentations

Before the VFW veterans shared their experiences, Mr. Wronko’s students Semaj Reid, Maria Riano Cruz, Umira Randolph, Axel Rivera-Gonzalez, Dayln Bunting, Princess Kimyrah Lanee Gue, and Angel Olguin Espana conducted presentations on Blacks in the military.

Harlem Hellfighters, Tuskegee Airmen, Black Panthers

The groups that the students conducted presentations were on:

The Harlem Hellfighters
Tuskegee Airmen
Black Panthers (761st Tank Battalion)
555th Parachute Infantry Battalion: Known as the “Triple Nickles”
Black Americans in the American Revolution
Black Americans in the War of 1812

Photo by Bob Sandberg, Look photographerRestoration by Adam Cuerden, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

On a side note, Jackie Robinson served in the 761st Tank Battalion (Black Panthers). In addition, Daylin Bunting, Asbury Park High School wrestler of the week, gave a special presentation about the Black Panthers in the Civil Rights movement.

Black History Month: George Reed

Black History Month Asbury Park High

After their presentations, George Reed shared his experiences during the time of the Vietnam War as well as explaining to students that there was always two sides of the story concerning history. He used the Battle of the Alamo as his example. When George was in school he never learned that the Battle of Alamo fell into the category to bring Texas into the U.S. as a slave state. George explained once he got older and met other people and read new sources, he learned that the U.S. at the time wanted Texas as a slave state and Mexico wanted Texas to be free. He showed the students that history always would have two sides of the story.

Black History Month: Wilbur V. Martin

After George Reed, Wilbur V. Martin spoke to the students about his career during the Vietnam War as well as being stationed by the University of Mississippi to help ensure that James Meredith entered the school without being harmed. In addition, he tied his lesson with George’s by explaining to the students that Texas was the last state to eliminate slavery and that was why Juneteenth was created.

Comic Book Heroes Created to Celebrate Black History Month

Just recently Mr. Wronko’s students created superhero characters to celebrate Black History Month. These characters were created through the use of Sora AI generator.

See videos below:

Superhero vs 3 Headed Dragon!! #ai #dinosaur #epic #battle #viral #history