Black Americans in World War II

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. The entry of the United States into World War II in December 1941 presented Black Americans with a profound paradox that would define their wartime experience and shape the trajectory of the civil rights movement for decades to come. While the nation mobilized to fight fascism and defend democracy abroad, Black Americans faced systematic discrimination, segregation, and denial of basic civil rights at home, creating what civil rights leaders termed the "Double V" campaign - victory against fascism overseas and victory against racism in America. This dual struggle would transform both the war effort and American society, as Black Americans demanded that the democratic ideals for which they were asked to fight be extended to their own communities. The pre-war situation of Black Americans in 1941 reflected decades of institutionalized racism and legal segregation that had relegated the vast majority of African Americans to second-class citizenship despite their constitutional rights and their contributions to American society. The Jim Crow system in the South enforced strict racial segregation in all aspects of public life, while informal but pervasive discrimination in the North limited economic opportunities, housing options, and social mobility for Black families seeking to escape the legacy of slavery and build better lives for their children. The military services that Black Americans would be asked to join and serve in during World War II were themselves strictly segregated institutions that reflected and reinforced the racial hierarchies that governed American society.