WHAT THE ARMY LEARNED ABOUT RACE DURING WWII

There are countless reasons to be proud of America’s military achievements in WWII. One achievement that deserves more recognition than it gets is the progress the Army made during and shortly after the war in dealing with race. In 1940, the military had fewer than 2% African Americans, almost all of whom were in segregated, low-level jobs. Ten years after the war, the last all-Black units had been disbanded, and a quarter million Black men and women were intermingled with Whites in our nation’s military services. The history of this change should be a source of pride for all Americans and an inspiration for the possibility of future change. The history is not simply a story of Black-White relations, but one that involves the full range of people who have made America great.