I need to read this a couple more times because there are lots of interwoven points to consider
But the first thing that struck me was when people nowadays think of racial segregation, they probably recall Apartheid in South Africa rather than the segreegated United States (until 1968)
I find this historical selectiveness intriguing particularly in the context of the Second World War when, despite the most appalling crimes against humanity committed in Europe, black American GIs who came over the UK to fight for the cause of "freedom" were themselves subjected to segregation in the American bases in England where US law superceded UK law
This created concern that there might be friction and consternation with the local people given the British men were already abroad fighting, so they took surveys amongst local businessses near to the bases were to gauge opinion and, as noted by George Orwell, the white British public not only welcomed the black American GIs as guests and appreciated their courtesy and generosity, but were horrified by the prejudice display by the white US military police in literally dragging them back to their segregated bases where German PoWs were treated better than they were.
“They treated us royally”? Black Americans in Britain during WW2
In a rare display of accurate Hollywood depiction, the 1979 film 'Yanks' captured this perfectly
To compound this, people like Medgar Evers returned to the US determined to play their part in ending this prejudice after their experience in England and paid the full price for their trouble. So when political agitators like to talk about institutional racism, it usually starts from the top and, as you allude, likely wouldn't even exist when the people have a common cause no matter who is in authority
The treatment of Black Americans during the war is one of the stories in James Baldwin's essay written in 1955 about a day in 1943. The race riots that took place outside his step father's funeral were triggered by a black soldier being shot by a white policeman in New York.
Many of the black population of New York had escaped the South and Baldwin was a direct descendent of sharecroppers (he was 19 in 1943). He worked in a defence factory with white workers shipped in from the South who would not talk to him or allow him into the local diner. It was anger at this that pushed him to enter the fancy restaurant and provoke a confrontation.
The black population was appalled that their sons were sent South to train under white soldiers. The resonant image of the essay is the relief that they felt when their sons were finally shipped to the European war zone, because if they now died it would be with honour rather than under suspicious circumstances on a Southern US military base.
The reason the war effort was organised this way was because Roosevelt needed Southern Democratic votes for the New Deal and had committed that the political structure of the South would be maintained despite the spending in the programme. The white Democrats insisted that the only way black men would be armed was if under control of southern military bases.
Not all bases were in the South but there were segregated training facilities at Camp Lee in Virginia, Camp Davis in South Carolina, Camps Claiborne and Livingston in Louisiana, Camp Robinson in Arkansas, Camps Gordon and Wheeler in Georgia and Camp Van Dorn in Mississippi.
I need to read this a couple more times because there are lots of interwoven points to consider
But the first thing that struck me was when people nowadays think of racial segregation, they probably recall Apartheid in South Africa rather than the segreegated United States (until 1968)
I find this historical selectiveness intriguing particularly in the context of the Second World War when, despite the most appalling crimes against humanity committed in Europe, black American GIs who came over the UK to fight for the cause of "freedom" were themselves subjected to segregation in the American bases in England where US law superceded UK law
This created concern that there might be friction and consternation with the local people given the British men were already abroad fighting, so they took surveys amongst local businessses near to the bases were to gauge opinion and, as noted by George Orwell, the white British public not only welcomed the black American GIs as guests and appreciated their courtesy and generosity, but were horrified by the prejudice display by the white US military police in literally dragging them back to their segregated bases where German PoWs were treated better than they were.
“They treated us royally”? Black Americans in Britain during WW2
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/they-treated-us-royally-the-experiences-of-black-americans-in-britain-during-the-second-world-war
In a rare display of accurate Hollywood depiction, the 1979 film 'Yanks' captured this perfectly
To compound this, people like Medgar Evers returned to the US determined to play their part in ending this prejudice after their experience in England and paid the full price for their trouble. So when political agitators like to talk about institutional racism, it usually starts from the top and, as you allude, likely wouldn't even exist when the people have a common cause no matter who is in authority
The treatment of Black Americans during the war is one of the stories in James Baldwin's essay written in 1955 about a day in 1943. The race riots that took place outside his step father's funeral were triggered by a black soldier being shot by a white policeman in New York.
Many of the black population of New York had escaped the South and Baldwin was a direct descendent of sharecroppers (he was 19 in 1943). He worked in a defence factory with white workers shipped in from the South who would not talk to him or allow him into the local diner. It was anger at this that pushed him to enter the fancy restaurant and provoke a confrontation.
The black population was appalled that their sons were sent South to train under white soldiers. The resonant image of the essay is the relief that they felt when their sons were finally shipped to the European war zone, because if they now died it would be with honour rather than under suspicious circumstances on a Southern US military base.
The reason the war effort was organised this way was because Roosevelt needed Southern Democratic votes for the New Deal and had committed that the political structure of the South would be maintained despite the spending in the programme. The white Democrats insisted that the only way black men would be armed was if under control of southern military bases.
Not all bases were in the South but there were segregated training facilities at Camp Lee in Virginia, Camp Davis in South Carolina, Camps Claiborne and Livingston in Louisiana, Camp Robinson in Arkansas, Camps Gordon and Wheeler in Georgia and Camp Van Dorn in Mississippi.