MLK Day

January 20, 2025: During World War II, approximately 1.2 million African Americans served in the U.S. military. This was about 10-11% of the total armed forces and was in line with the African American population at the time, which was 15 million individuals out of a total national population of 132 million.

Despite their significant contribution to the war effort, African American soldiers faced systemic racism and discrimination throughout the military. After the war, Black veterans returning home weren’t expecting special treatment; regular treatment would have been enough. Instead, Congress largely excluded them from opportunities for higher education, buying homes, obtaining mortgages, or participating in other activities that would significantly benefit the descendants of other veterans in the following years.

The GI Bill was established in 1944 to facilitate World War II veterans’ transition back into civilian life by providing financial support, housing, education, and unemployment benefits. The VA, established in 1930, was significantly expanded by the GI Bill by adding new benefits and services for World War II veterans.

In practice, however, African American veterans faced significant barriers such as exclusion from loans and educational institutions, segregated facilities, unequal state administration, and limited access to vocational training, ultimately perpetuating economic disparities and inequality. 

Many educational institutions were segregated, limiting access to training and higher education for Black veterans. The VA’s home mortgage program allowed for redlining, where banks and lenders could refuse loans in predominantly Black neighborhoods or offer less favorable terms, limiting home ownership opportunities for African American veterans. The state’s administration of government benefits was often influenced by local racial biases, further limiting the distribution of benefits.

Arguably, no legislation of the 20th century had been more intentionally destructive to a specific community. The sum total of hardship and gross unfairness of these policies across generations is so great that an actual dollar figure could never be quantified.

African American servicemen not only played a crucial role in World War II, but their experiences with institutionalized racism and discrimination that followed laid the foundation for the civil rights movement and ultimately the laws that protect all Americans.

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. today with a federal holiday recognizes his significant contributions to the civil rights movement and the sacrifice of countless others in the pursuit of justice.