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F i bri ary 26, 1997 • T he P oru and O bserver
P age B4
BLACK HISTORY
V :|3artlatxfc (Dbserüer
Black Americans in the Military, part II
an
A rmy N ews R elease
Continued from last week ’.»
Mack History edition.
As World War II approached, Presi
dent Roosevelt realized that not only
white Americans must be mobilized;
black Americans must be mobilized
as well The Selective Service Act o f
1940 stated that "in the selection and
training o f men under this act and in
the interpretation and execution o f
this act, there shall be no discrim ina
tion against any person on account o f
race.” It also stated that black soldiers
would not be segregated or kept out o f
combat units. Shortly before the end
o f the war, Woodson told how the
words o f society contradicted the ac-
tionsofsociety. Here is w hat he wrote:
"W hen they read in one colum n o f the
newspaper that the first soldier to fall
in the defense o f the Philippines was
a Negro and in the next that an inno
cent suspect was lynched by a m ob in
Sikeston, M issouri, men o f sound
mind began to reflect.
"W hen they see that a N egro came
to the rescue and saved from drow n
ing most o f the crew on a sinking ship
in the icy waters o f Alaska and died
from pneum onia as a result o f that
exposure, men begin to think that the
Jim Crow is not the proper reward for
that hero.
"W hen one sees reported the N e
gro woman who died at the front to
relieve the suffering soldiers, and
learns at the same time that a Negro
Wac has been imprisoned and held
for the grand jury in M ississippi for
riding in the coach with her white
Wac com panion, he m ust w onder
what we are fighting for....”
O f the one million black A m eri
cans in uniform during W orld War II,
perhaps those who fought with most
distinction were the airm en o f the
experimental Tuskegee Training Pro
gram, which trained N egroes to be
come aviators. Skeptics o f the pro
gram believed Negroes incapable o f
mastering the com plex technology
and skills o f aviation. But their skep
ticism was shown to be w ithout basis.
Many com bat aircraft o f the Gem ian
air force - the Luftwaffe - w ould fall
in flames from the skies o f Europe,
shot down by the Tuskegee pilots.
President Trum an called a special
congressional committee to study how
the devices would implement the or
der. Testifying before this committee.
Colonel Harold Riegelman summ ed
up the problem o f racial prejudice
succinctly. H ere’s what he said: “The
pressure for immediate action against
segregation in the armed forces is
made even greater by the unparal
leled position o f leadership the United
States holds today in international
affairs. The United States is looked
upon as the greatest cham pion o f
freedom and democracy in the world,
where the dark people out num ber the
white, where the concept o f racial
superiority and white supremacy is an
insult to more than half o f the earth’s
population.
Shortly before his death in 1950,
W o o d so n
echoed
C o lo n e l
Riegelm an’s words. As if in proph
ecy, he warned Am erica that toler
ance o f racism and segregation soon
would end: "the colored peoples," he
said, "constituting the majority o fth e
population o fth e universe, will even
tually find the means to make them
selves felt in international circles,
where the destinies o f nations will be
eventually determ ined.”
Doctor Carter Godwin Woodson
died in W ashington D.C.. on April 3.
1950. History bore out his prophecy
that segregation soon would end in
the United States. We may take pride,
however, that he was mistaken in his
beliefthat change would occur only as
the result o f pressure applied in "in
ternational circles.” O f course, he
could not know how, or to what ex
tent, America would change in the
turbulent decade o f the sixties, as the
civil rights m ovement gained m o
mentum. America would suffer great
pain to achieve progress in civil rights
for this black American citizens. But
progress she would achieve, and she
would achieve it by the brave efforts o f
many Americans. She would achieve
in not on ly by the efforts o f ci vi I rights
activists but also o f a new generation
o f government offic ials — leaders who
realized that America must change,
must give equal opportunity to all
Americans. And ultimately she would
achieve it through the fairness, de-
Com m anded by General Ben jamin
O. Davis J r , the 332nd Lighter G roup
received, for gallantry in combat, a
Distinguished Unit citation from the
President of the United States His
fighter group sank a destroyer o f the
German Navy, a feat never before
accom plished by fighter pilots alone.
A nother T uskegee unit, the 99th
Lighter Squadron, received three Dis
tinguished U m tC nations I hatsquad-
ron was credited with destroying five
enem y aircraft in less than four min
utes, another feat w ithout precedent.
Perhaps the most famous o f all
pilots in the Tuskegee program was
Daniel "C happie" James I he young
est o f 17 children, James was a com
bat veteran o f World War II, Korea
and Vietnam. James flew 78 combat
missions into North Vietnam and led
a Hight in which seven Soviet MIG
2 1 s were destroyed, the highest kill o f
any mission during the Vietnam War
At the end o f his military career,
James received his fourth star, be
com ing a full general I k became
widely known for his speeches on
Americanism and patriotism, which
w on for him praise and acclaim
throughout the world. That is black
history, that is American history.
Although many black Americans
fought w ith distinction in World War
II. they returned home to a segregated
Am erican society and a segregated
American military. Most black sol
diers at that tim e could not meet the
tough educational requirem ents to
reenlist, much less to become com
m issioned officers. The Army brass
had a tough time explaining that only
48 officers were black in a Regular
Arm y com plim ent o f over 20,000
black soldiers. Unfortunately that,
also, is black history. That, also, is
American history.
M eanwhile, pressure grew stron
ger from the black com munity to ra
cially integrate the armed forces. In
1948, President Harry S. Truman is
sued Executive Order 9981, which
called for equal opportunity and equal
treatment for all members ofthe armed
forces. But the Army opposed this
order on the grounds that it would
erode unit cohesion during a time o f
preparation for war.
Haitian Dance and lecture
Portland S tateU niversity’s W orld
Dance O ffice again offers a rare
opportunity for the com m unity to
explore another culture through its
dance and rhythm s.
N ative Jam aican Y anique Hume
will give a free public lecture on
A fro-C aribbean d an ce T hursday,
February 27, at 7 p.m . in P SU ’s
M ulticultural C en ter, R oom 126
Sm ith Center, 1825 SW Broadw ay.
H ume also will present a Haitian
Dance W orkshop, entitled “ R ara,”
Lriday through Sunday, Lebruary 28
- M arch 2, in Room 207 o f the
Health & Physical E ducation B uild
ing, 930 SW Hall. The w orkshop
takes place Lriday and S aturday 4-6
p.m. and S unday 4 :3 0 -6 :3 0 p.m.
C ost is $8 per class for the general
public. $6 per class for PSU faculty
sta ff and non PSU -students with
valid I D It is free to PSU students
with I D.
A highly trained percussion en
sem ble will accom pany each class.
D rum m er Dehran D uckw orth has
w orked with dancers and drum m ers
in California, H awaii, N ew England,
Europe and Africa. He specializes in
Haitian and C uban rhythm s W om en
attending the w orkshop should wear
a long, full skirt
Y anique H um e has been trained
in and taught A fro-C aribbean dance
for nearly 20 years. She studied with
renow ned teachers in N ew York;
K ingston, Jam aica; and H avana,
Cuba. She is a m em ber o f the ac
claim ed L ’A cadco D ance C om pany
in Kingston.
She was a m em ber o f Panashe, a
steeldrum and dance ensem ble in
Jam aica and in K w anzaa, a w o m en 's
percussive ensem ble in Burlington.
V erm ont
From 1984 to 1986 H um e was a
m em ber o f the Alvin A iley R eper
tory Ensem ble in N ew Y ork.. She
has toured extensively, in the C arib
bean, M exico, the U .S., the United
Kingdom and has been profiled in
several international music videos
and m agazines.
She has taught in Jam aica and the
U.S. Currently, H ume is w orking
tow ard her bachelor o f arts degree in
com parative religion, with a minor
in anthropology, at U niversity o f
V erm ont.
She received a diplom a in dance
theatre and production from Edna
M anley C ollege o f t h e Visual and
Perform ing A rts in Kingston, Ja
maica. She has done extensive re
search in Haitian V odoun. Carib
bean folk culture including ritual
and secular dances, O risha tradition
in the New W orld, the W ake C om
plex dances o f Jam aica, and ritual
theatre.
Yanique Hume
cency, and com m on sense o fth e great
majority o f American people.
How fortunate we are — we w ho
serve our great country o f America.
We may be Soldiers. Aailors. M a
rines, Airman or Coast G uardsm en.
We may be civilians in federal ser
vice. H owever we serve, we know that
today we are judged not by the color o f
our skin but by the quality o f our
accom plishment and the content o f
our character.
D epartm ent o f D efense figures
show that black Americans com prise
about 20 percent o f the military force
- higher than their proportion o fth e
overall U.S. population, which is about
12.4 percent.
What is m ore significant, these
black Americans do not serve only in
the junior enlisted ranks. M ore and
more, they serve as noncom m issioned
officers, warrant officers and co m
missioned officers. As o f 1995 in the
Army, the largest o f the military ser
vices. more than 11 percent o f com
missioned officers were black. O f
warrant officers, nearly 11 percent
were black. O f sergeants major, the
A rm y’s top enlisted soldiers, nearly
28 percent were black. O f the 323
general officers in the A rm y in D e
cember 1994, 26 were black — 8 per
cent o f the A rm y's general officer
corps.
Is opportunity truly equal in every
military service and every unit o f the
armed forces? In spite o f spectacular
progress over recent decades, few
would be so bold as to claim that it is.
But the simple statistics o f rank and
race bear out that with each passing
year, opportunity does steadily be
come more nearly equal. We have
every reason to believe it will con
tinue to do so. More than ever before,
black Americans —like Am ericans o f
every other race — are m oving up in
their military careers as fast and as
high as their peers — all their peers.
not just the peers o f their own race.
And, o f course, as they rise in rank
and responsibility, they lead persons
o f every race, w ho are integrated
throughout the military services o f
the United States o f America.
There is one black American today
whose recent inilitary serv ice is known
and respected throughout this nation
and the w orld—General Colin Powel.
Perhaps, some day, when we are
confident that we have charted and
channeled the danger w aters o f race
prejudice, we w on’t rely on it so much
1997 EYH CONFERENCE
for 7th - 12th grade girls
EXPANDING
YOUR
HORIZONS
Portland State University
Smith Hall -1 8 9 5 S.W. Broadway
Saturday, March 1,1997, 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Contact: EYH, 916-5858 X405 or 916-6565
MARK YOUR CALENDER NOW
Registration information will be in your school now
C H IC K E N & B IS C U IT S
Salutes
Black History
Month
Equal Opportunity Employer
i
On that day, society will view black
history no longer as a separate book
but as an important theme that weaves
through all American history On that
day. society will view the achieve
ments o f black Am ericans as we view
the achievem ents o f other Americans
— person by person.
We A m ericans are proud o f our
diversity; w e celebrate and honor our
unique traditions, our special heri
tages, w hatever they may be. But
regardless o f our roots, we remain —
first, last and always -A m erican s.