The Intrepid, a historic WWII aircraft carrier and museum parked at Pier 86 on the west side of Manhattan hosted state elected officials and advocates on Oct. 15 to honor Black veterans at their first Veterans Summit.
The event kicked off with the marching of the military color guard, songs, and a solemn ceremony to honor prisoners of war, missing in action soldiers, and those killed in action.
“You’ve taken an oath to defend the Constitution and you don’t serve a President, you don’t serve a person, you serve the United States of America. I think that’s something every military person has ingrained in them. I know it’s in my father,” said Bronx Assemblymember Landon Dais, “and I think at the end of the day, threats foreign or domestic, our veterans are the ones that will stand up.”
New York State elected officials and veterans advocates honor Black veterans at a Summit held at the Intrepid Museum at Pier 86 in Manhattan on Thursday, Oct. 15. (Ariama C. Long videos)
As one of the organizers for the summit, he surprised his father, Larry Dias, who served as a U.S. Army Sergeant E5 in the 1960s, with an honorable state citation.
Long Island Assemblymember Kwani B. O’Pharrow served in the Navy from 1990 to 1994 as Radioman Petty Officer 3rd Class-Intel and is also a retired NYPD detective. Similar to Dais, his veteran father also served as inspiration for the summit event.
Their Stories
Attendees at the summit event included veterans from several American wars and conflicts going all the way back to World War II.
“One thing that we do have is a desire to transform and impact the lives of the veterans in this great state,” said Harlem Assemblymember Al Taylor, a former military police officer. “And so I want to salute you all for what you’re doing and never stop. Never stop doing what you’re doing, never stop giving a damn.”
Major Retired Sharon Sweeting-Lindsey served in the military for 26 years. She said she misses the camaraderie and instruction the most, but was happy that she was able to apply her experience to a career as a New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) food service manager.
“When I went for an interview at the DOC, which is very, very much like the military in the sense of structure. I got that job because of my military experience. When I walked into the food service kitchen, all of the equipment was familiar to me because I had used it in the military…,” said Sweeting-Lindsey. “I retired from the Department of Corrections, and I retired from the military. But you know, once you’re a veteran, you’re always a veteran.”
Sweeting-Lindsey is currently the Post 483 First Vice Commander at the Rosedale-Laurelton American Legion in Queens, which operates as a food pantry and delivery meal service for veterans and the elderly. She also founded the J-Cap Veterans Program and V.E.T.S. Inc.
Another veteran, Blossom Ferguson, is a Retired Lieutenant Colonel for the United States Army Nurse Corps. She is Treasurer & Chaplain of the National Association of Black Military Women. “My favorite thing about being a veteran was the time serving the country, and the friends that I’ve met and have still maintained since my service,” said Ferguson. “I went in in 1985 and I still have those friends until now.”
Similarly, Joan R. Davis was an Army nurse and a Retired Colonel in the United States Army. She enlisted in 1986 and retired in 2018. She loved going places, meeting people, and caring for fellow soldiers. She serves as the vice commander in the Bronx post for the American Legion, and volunteers as a transport assistant at the Veterans Affairs (VA).
“I help my brothers and sisters after their operations. I take them to their vehicles. I serve them their meals, and I’m proud to serve,” said Davis. “I just want to say thank you to my family, relatives, and friends because if you don’t have support, it’s hard for you to serve.”
Kevin C. Meggett was a combat Navy veteran of both Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the Gulf War in 1990. His job was to do damage control if something happened to the ship, he said. He currently is the Regional Commander of the National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS) and founder of End Veteran Poverty Now. He is deeply disappointed with President Donald Trump and the federal administration’s handling of veterans.
“It’s criminal. [Trump] should be arrested, both him and Pete Hegseth,” said Meggett. “But we have, as a country, divested of our veterans, and it became a trickle down effect. … Particularly and especially Black American veterans, we fought in every single conflict and war since the Revolutionary War, all the way up until what’s going on in Iran. So we’ve been great neighbors. We’ve done extraordinary things for the country to push it forward.”
Long Island Assemblymember Kwani B. O’Pharrow (left) and Bronx Assemblymember Landon Dais (right). (Ariama C. Long photos) 
Blossom Ferguson, a Retired Lieutenant Colonel for the United States Army Nurse Corps, (RIGHT) at the Veterans Summit on the Intrepid on Oct. 15 
Black veterans in the audience salute during the pledge of allegiance. 
Major Retired Sharon Sweeting-Lindsey at the Veterans Summit on Oct. 15. 
Retired Colonel and Nurse in the United States Army Joan R. Davis. 
Lehman College arranges a symbolic POW – KIA table at the Black Veterans Summit in Manhattan on Oct. 15. ( 
A crowd of Black Veterans at the summit held in Manhattan on Oct. 15. 
Assemblymember Landon Dais addresses the crowd of Black Veterans at the summit held in Manhattan on Oct. 15. 
Assemblymember Landon Dais (far left) surprised his father, Larry Dias (middle) with a state citation for his time in service as a veteran at the event on Oct. 15
Hard Conversations
New York State estimates it has over 600,000 veterans, the seventh-largest veteran population in the country, according to the state’s Department of Aging.
The summit discussed pressing issues Black and Brown veterans face, such as the concerning suicide rate, poverty, homelessness, racial barriers to benefits, access to workforce development and union jobs, and mental health resourcing while transitioning back into “civilian life.”
“What we’re seeing today is that a veteran is four times as likely to die by suicide than on the battlefield. … We’ve lost 31,177 men and women to suicide, post 9/11,” said Ken Fisher, whose uncle is Zachary Fisher, the man who founded the Fisher Houses organization and the Intrepid Museum Foundation. “Behind every one of those families, every one of those victims is a family. A name, a family, and their service, and their sacrifice that has been forgotten.”
According to the 2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, there was a dip in the number of veterans who died by suicide (6,398) in 2023, compared to the previous year. Data show that 61% of those veterans who died by suicide were not receiving VA health care benefits. Other factors include homelessness, health problems, and chronic pain.
“Housing would be at the very, very top of the list,” said Meggett. “We don’t have access or equity in a state that we fought and defended. We don’t have the opportunity to build in a country we fought for.”
Other panelists spoke about the disparities that women veterans in particular have to endure regarding rates of sexual assault and lack of adequate healthcare. According to the VA, about 1 in 3 women veterans have experienced sexual harassment or assault while in the military.
“One of my experiences as a woman coming out of the military was visiting one of our OB-GYN, women’s health clinic in the Brooklyn VA Hospital. It was dirty, grimy. It was worse than being on the military base at their facility,” said one panelist who shared her story. “I’ve had four or five healthcare providers because we’re constantly losing people.”
Panelists offered that at least in New York State there’s been movement to end overall veteran homelessness through programs and legislation, like active duty property tax exemptions for veteran homeowners and property tax exemptions for 100% disabled veterans in certain counties. Additionally, the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services has the Vallone Veteran Resource Center Initiative, which is a free service designed to help veterans get their benefits and mental health resources.
