Fighting for Respect
The U.S. military was entirely segregated during World War I. The Marine Corps excluded Black Americans until 1942. The 370,000 African Americans in the Army and Navy were largely assigned to such unskilled labor as road-building, freight-hauling, and the digging of trenches and graves. Only two Black combat units were created: the 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions. They were commanded by white officers, American as well as French. Seizing an opportunity to earn respect, Blacks readily volunteered. On their return home, however, their heroism was ignored, and they remained unrecognized as equal.
This article was featured in the Virginia Magazine of History & Biography, Vol. 126, No. 1 in connection with the The Commonwealth and the Great War exhibition.