Political Leaders During The War - 1087 Words

Political leaders were also put to the test during the war. Many African Americans worked closely with the government to both rally black support for the war and to help battle against issues such as lynching and segregation. For example, Emmett Scott, the former secretary to to Booker T. Washington at the Tuskegee Institute, was able to organize a conference for black newspaper editors and political leaders in Washington, D.C. in June 1918. This conference yielded positive results. The attendees declared their loyalty to the government. Although World War I affect people of all demographics, those who were impacted the most directly were African Americans who were called to fight and labor overseas. Over 200,000 African Americans went†¦show more content†¦The 93rd Division’s 369th Infantry Regiment from New York were nicknamed the â€Å"Harlem Hellfighters† for their exemplary war efforts. Two of the soliders, Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts, were the first ever American soldiers to receive the French War Cross. This regiment would serve for 191 days and gave up no ground to German forces. The 92rd division had much more stressful experiences than the 93rd. They faced more racial discrimination. The white army officials in the 92nd division would characterize the black soldiers as rapists, and would spread rumors to French civilians. African Americans were often viewed as threats to white authority, and many were forced to be transferred out of the division for racial reasons. Others were also court-martialed on lies told by white officials. The 92nd division fought well as a whole, despite having inadequate training and having to deal with racial discrimination. One regiment, the 368th Infantry Regiment however performed poorly in the Allied Meuse-Argonne offensive in September 1918 and as a result, racist military members used this case as a way to characterize all black soldiers. They would classify them as incompetent and failures. Postwar, African American soldiers would protest these allegations. Even with all of the discrimination and setbacks, the service that the African Americans completed in France was a very good experience for them, many troops would often