The Battle of Hayes Pond took place on January 18, 1958, when the Ku Klux Klan - led by James “Catfish” Cole - attempted to hold a rally near Maxton, North Carolina. The rally was intended primarily to antagonize the Lumbee community and protest interracial relationships.

At the time, Maxton was segregated three ways: White, Black, and Indian. Despite segregation, Native American and African American families often lived and worked alongside one another. My mother remembers my grandmother watching their Native American neighbors’ children when the parents had to leave, and those same neighbors doing the same for her when needed.

That night, when the Klan gathered in a rented field for their rally, they were vastly outnumbered. Estimates suggest 300 - 500 Lumbee community members showed up.

According to Jack Lowery, a Lumbee participant who was there that night, once a floodlight illuminating the rally was shot out, “all hell broke loose, and everybody just ran together and started fighting.”

The State Archives of North Carolina later recorded:

“In the sudden darkness, the Lumbees descended upon the field, yelling and firing guns into the air, scattering the overmatched Klansmen. Some left under police protection while others, including Catfish Cole, simply took to the woods.”

When I asked my mother about it a few weeks ago, she summed it up simply:

“We don’t mess around in Robeson County.”

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served — including my mom, Ret. Major Linda Leggett.

She served for 21 years in the Delaware Army National Guard and became the first Black woman to complete their Officer Candidate School program in 1977.

She’s also currently fighting Multiple Myeloma, and five months ago — after her numbers began to stabilize — I started The Leggett Legacy Project to share her story as both a trailblazer and a cancer fighter across Reddit, with this subreddit has it's digital archive.

I could never have imagined the level of love and support she’s received from around the world here on Reddit. But last month, something amazing happened — the Delaware National Guard reached out and wanted to surprise my mom with a special visitation from the command team in honor of her service.

How we kept it a surprise is a story for another day — but that moment was one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It wasn’t just emotional; it was historic.

The current Adjutant General, Major General James A. Benson, is the first African American leader of the Delaware National Guard, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ernestine Epps is the first woman and African American to hold her role.

To see nearly 50 years of progress come full circle in one room, while honoring my mom, was truly incredible.

I’m forever grateful to the Delaware Nation Guard for making this day possible — and to the millions of people who have seen and supported my mom's story as well.

There’s much more to come with The Leggett Legacy Project — so stay tuned!

As many of you know, my mom Linda isn’t just a trailblazer — becoming the first Black woman to graduate from Army Officer Candidate School in the Delaware National Guard back in 1977 — but she’s also been fighting another battle this year: multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.

Since September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to pause and honor her courage while also raising awareness for others. Blood cancers impact over 1.5 million people in the U.S., and African Americans and veterans (due to potential exposures) face increased risks.

Some important things to watch for: • Persistent bone pain • Fatigue • Frequent infections • Unexplained weight loss

I’m deeply grateful to this community for helping me share her story, and I hope we can also use this space to spread awareness that might help others.

In 1977, my mom, Linda Leggett, made history as the first African American woman to graduate from Officer Candidate School in the Delaware Army National Guard.

Today, on her 76th birthday, she continues her fight against multiple myeloma — but she’s also seeing, in real time, that her story matters.

Over the past two months, thanks to this community and beyond, her legacy has viewed over 2 million times on Reddit between all my posts. For the first time, she feels remembered, honored, and celebrated.

To mark this day, I created a short tribute video capturing one of her most emotional moments from the podcast project I’ve been working on. I’d love for you to see it and, if you’re moved, share it so more people can know her name.

https://youtu.be/BugExpRCaVg?si=xqaXstjXJYsbKKE8

Thank you all for being part of keeping her story alive. This subreddit is where I’ll continue to share her history, her voice, and updates on The Leggett Legacy Podcast.

Last week, I shared a post about my mom, Linda — the first Black woman to complete Delaware’s Army National Guard Officer Candidate School in 1977. The post went unexpectedly viral on r/TheWayWeWere, reaching over 949,000 views, with 16,000+ upvotes and more than 100 heartfelt comments. It was briefly taken down after mass reporting, but the moderators reinstated it — and I’m thankful.

Across all my posts about her over the past two weeks, her story has now been viewed by more than 1.24 million people, with 20,000+ upvotes combined across Reddit.

Last Friday, I finally shared it all with her — the photo, the attention, and many of your incredible responses from various subreddits. She read through printed copies of your comments, quietly taking it all in.

She told me something that stuck with me: at her commissioning ceremony in 1977, she felt alone — her family in North Carolina couldn’t afford to attend. For over 40 years, she rarely talked about her military past, focusing instead on raising her children. She never expected anyone outside the family would know, let alone care.

Now, all these years later, your words changed that. She told me she finally feels seen. She’s currently fighting Multiple Myeloma, but continues to respond well to treatment — and her smile says it all.

I was also able to quietly record the moment she read your words. That footage means everything to me. I’ll be sharing more soon.

Thank you for honoring her with your kindness. There is more to come soon ❤️🙏🏾

This is only one piece of her amazing story, more to share soon!

Although this year has been very challenging personally and emotionally, seeing my mom fight her cancer has been truly inspiring ❤️

Another chapter in my mom’s elite military career! As the Delaware’s NBC officer, she helped lead training seminars for in and out of state troops on equipment readiness.