Patriotism Crosses the Color Line:

African-Americans in World War II

By Clarence Taylor, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, adapted by Newsela
staff on 06.05.17
Word Count 910
Level 1060L

African-American members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) at Camp Shanks, New York, pose before going
overseas to join the World War II effort in 1945. They were the first African-American WAACs to go overseas. AP Photo

African-Americans have been the victims of racial oppression throughout the history of the
United States. Before 1865, many were slaves, and after that many were treated like second-
class citizens. Whites in power thought blacks did not deserve the same rights as white
citizens. Still, blacks have always supported the U.S., especially during wartime.

During World War II, over one million African-Americans served in the armed forces. Most
black men who served were in the Army. They were segregated from white soldiers and often
were not permitted to fight, but only to perform tasks like cooking and cleaning.

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Segregated units in the armed forces

Many black soldiers did see action, though, and many of them fought with great skill and
courage. More than 12,000 black men who served in the segregated 92nd Division received
citations and were decorated for their effort. The all-black 761st Tank Battalion received the
Presidential Unit Citation for “extraordinary heroism.”

By 1944, there were 145,000 black men serving in the U.S. Army Air Force. Among them were
the members of the 99th Fighter Squadron, popularly known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The
Tuskegee Airmen became legendary for their heroic feats. In all, the unit's members received
several silver stars, 150 distinguished flying crosses, 14 bronze stars and 744 air medals. The
entire unit was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation.

Black women also came to the defense of the nation by enlisting in the Women’s Army
Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Black women in WAAC made up 10 percent of all women recruited.
Like black men in the armed forces, they were placed in segregated units, lived in segregated
housing, ate at segregated tables and were trained separately from whites. More than 6,200
black women served in WAAC. In spite of serving in segregated units and facing harsh
discrimination, black women served with distinction.

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"We are Americans too!"

Although African-Americans supported their government during WWII, they were not silent
about racism in America. In fact, some even noted the similarities between the way Jews were
treated in Nazi Germany and the way blacks were treated in America. Both Jews in Germany
and African-Americans in the United States, particularly the South, were treated as less than
fully human, and were denied equal rights. Both were savagely mistreated and discriminated
against.

The United States claimed to be fighting Nazi Germany to help defend democracy. African-
Americans couldn't help noticing the gap between the ideals the United States said it was
fighting for in Europe and how it treated people in the U.S. They also realized that the war
created an opportunity to press U.S. leaders for full citizenship.

In February 1942, the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the nation’s largest black newspapers,
launched its “Double V” campaign. Its goal was to encourage blacks to both support the war
effort in Europe and fight for civil rights in the U.S. The campaign's name referred to the slogan
"Victory at Home, Victory Abroad.”

The Courier argued that African-Americans should wage a “two-pronged attack against our
enslavers at home and those abroad who would enslave us. We have a stake in this fight ...
We are Americans too!"

The Double V campaign was enthusiastically received, and heavily promoted by the
newspaper. The Courier urged the country to not only preach democracy to the world but to
practice it at home.

The Double V campaign was eventually adopted by several other black newspapers.
Throughout the war years, the campaign helped provide a voice to Americans who wanted to
both protest racial discrimination and contribute to the war effort.

A victory for racial equality during WWII

Protesting was another crucial way that African-Americans pushed for civil rights during WWII.
As the war progressed, American industries began stepping up production of ships, tanks,
guns and other military items. Despite the urgent need for tens of thousands of workers,
companies that made weapons and military equipment refused to hire blacks. In addition, the
federal government refused to take steps to end this discrimination.

In response, civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph launched the March on Washington
Movement in 1941. Randolph soon announced that thousands of African-Americans were
ready to march on the nation’s capital. Their goal was to force President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt to issue an executive order banning discrimination in the war production industry.

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The threat of thousands of black protestors coming to Washington, D.C., convinced Roosevelt
to hold a meeting with Randolph in June 1941. The president asked Randolph to call off the
march. Randolph replied that he would only do that if an executive order was issued.

Eventually, Roosevelt agreed to a compromise with Randolph. The compromise was

Executive Order 8802, which banned employment discrimination in the war production
industry and in government. Having successfully forced the government to take action against
discrimination for the first time since the 1870s, Randolph agreed to call off the march.

Randolph and the other march organizers won a major victory for racial equality. Their
success laid the groundwork for the civil rights protests of the 1950s and 1960s.

Clarence Taylor teaches in the history department and in the black and Hispanic studies
department at Baruch College, The City University of New York. His books include "Knocking
at Our Own Door: Milton A. Galamison and the Struggle to Integrate New York City Schools"
(1997) and "Black Religious Intellectuals: The Fight for Equality from Jim Crow to the 21st
Century" (2002).

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