Double V
Kai Montoya
"The world's greatest democracy fought the world's greatest racist with a segregated army"(Stephen Ambrose, Citizen Soldier). During World War II, African Americans were drafted to serve the United States of America but even then the military branches were segregated. How ironic that these men were serving the United States, who treated them as inferiors, to fight Hitler in Germany, only to also be victims of racism and persecution.
The Tuskegee Airman, who were incredible bombers, were trained by the Army Air Corps, at the all black university at Tuskegee. These men were so important that their unit was awarded two Presidential awards. Despite these recognitions, black soldiers in the United States were still being discriminated against. A man named, Thurman Hoskins, describes basic training, "We were trained with sticks how to do all the things that you do". When the African American soldiers were finally able to use a Garand M-1 rifle, the same as the white soldiers, Hoskins said, "It was kind of nice to have a gun instead of a stick".
"Uncle Sam Says", was a song written by a blues musician named, Josh White. Because of his lyrics, the racism that was taking place in the military was making others aware of what was happening. One of his lyrics says, "Keep on your apron, son; You know I ain't going to let you shoot my big Navy gun." Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bill de Shields, a historian and founder of The Black Military Institute of America in Annapolis, says, "The symbol of black participation at that time was 'the Double V', in other words, 'Double V' meant two victories: victory against the enemy abroad and victory against the enemy at home. The enemy of course being racism, discrimination, prejudice, and Jim Crow". The two finger "V for Victory salute" came from Winston Churchill.
When minority soldiers, Black, Hispanic, and Native American, returned to the United States from the war, many had a difficult time finding work. Not wanting to return home to their rural towns and farming, many veterans moved to cities to find work that they had learned to do while in the military. John Farr, was trained as an airplane mechanic and he worked on bombers during WWII, but couldn't find work as a car mechanic and instead was offered a cleaning up the shop job.
Despite the racial discrimination, African Americans who participated in World War II, whether overseas or at home, were able to prove their worth as intelligent and necessary people. As John Farr's (the airplane mechanic) wife Birdie was quoted as saying, 'The war broke up a lot of that prejudice. You were there to do a job. And if you can do it, you're going to do it no matter what color you are. You work next to the next guy. Your life depended on him regardless of what color they are".
Kai Montoya
"The world's greatest democracy fought the world's greatest racist with a segregated army"(Stephen Ambrose, Citizen Soldier). During World War II, African Americans were drafted to serve the United States of America but even then the military branches were segregated. How ironic that these men were serving the United States, who treated them as inferiors, to fight Hitler in Germany, only to also be victims of racism and persecution.
The Tuskegee Airman, who were incredible bombers, were trained by the Army Air Corps, at the all black university at Tuskegee. These men were so important that their unit was awarded two Presidential awards. Despite these recognitions, black soldiers in the United States were still being discriminated against. A man named, Thurman Hoskins, describes basic training, "We were trained with sticks how to do all the things that you do". When the African American soldiers were finally able to use a Garand M-1 rifle, the same as the white soldiers, Hoskins said, "It was kind of nice to have a gun instead of a stick".
"Uncle Sam Says", was a song written by a blues musician named, Josh White. Because of his lyrics, the racism that was taking place in the military was making others aware of what was happening. One of his lyrics says, "Keep on your apron, son; You know I ain't going to let you shoot my big Navy gun." Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bill de Shields, a historian and founder of The Black Military Institute of America in Annapolis, says, "The symbol of black participation at that time was 'the Double V', in other words, 'Double V' meant two victories: victory against the enemy abroad and victory against the enemy at home. The enemy of course being racism, discrimination, prejudice, and Jim Crow". The two finger "V for Victory salute" came from Winston Churchill.
When minority soldiers, Black, Hispanic, and Native American, returned to the United States from the war, many had a difficult time finding work. Not wanting to return home to their rural towns and farming, many veterans moved to cities to find work that they had learned to do while in the military. John Farr, was trained as an airplane mechanic and he worked on bombers during WWII, but couldn't find work as a car mechanic and instead was offered a cleaning up the shop job.
Despite the racial discrimination, African Americans who participated in World War II, whether overseas or at home, were able to prove their worth as intelligent and necessary people. As John Farr's (the airplane mechanic) wife Birdie was quoted as saying, 'The war broke up a lot of that prejudice. You were there to do a job. And if you can do it, you're going to do it no matter what color you are. You work next to the next guy. Your life depended on him regardless of what color they are".