When Garrett Daggett first joined the Spokane Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club in 2021, he wasn’t just looking for community – he was looking for purpose.
“I joined the club because I loved the mission,” Daggett explained. The Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club exists to honor the original Buffalo Soldiers – Black Americans who served in the U.S. Army beginning in 1866 – by educating others about their history and continuing their spirit of service. “We pay homage by riding our iron horses, serving our community, and educating others on the rich history of the Buffalo Soldiers.”
The Spokane chapter, founded in 2004 as the first in Washington state, is more than a motorcycle club. Members are involved in community service: providing Thanksgiving meals, supporting children and families during the holidays, and raising scholarship funds for local students pursuing higher education. Currently, Curtis “G Dub Ya” Bowe is this president of the Spokane chapter.
For Daggett, the educational mission is just as important as the community service. “Our schools are not teaching Black history the way that they should be,” he said. “I went through high school and college and never knew about the Buffalo Soldiers until I did my own research. That’s what really drew me to this club–what they do for history, and what they do for community.”
The club also reminds Spokane of its own overlooked history. Daggett noted that Buffalo Soldiers were the very first garrison stationed at Fort George Wright in 1898, yet this fact rarely appears in local narratives. “We stand on the shoulders of great people who walked before us,” he said. “It’s important to know our history, because those who don’t know it are destined to repeat it.”
Through his role as club historian, Daggett is committed to ensuring stories like Isham A. Mitchell’s are remembered, not forgotten. His passion reflects the broader mission of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club: to honor the past, serve the present, and preserve the legacy of Black American contributions for the future.