LibGuides: Black History Month 2018: African Americans in Times of War Exhibit: Response to War

AUC STUDENTS' RESPONSE TO WAR

While the AUC created an atmosphere of patriotic duty for the war efforts during WWI and many students fought in numerous battles and others helped in war efforts as civilians, there were also those who spoke about the internal conflicts of fighting for a country in which they [African Americans] were denied civil rights and protections as citizens.

For or Against

Riveter at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, California, 1940-1945. Photo credit: Department of Labor. Women's Bureau

Photo of student walk out in protest against the start of the Iraq War

Student walk out in protest against the start of the Iraq War on 15th and K Street, NW, Washington, DC, on Thursday afternoon, 20 March 2003. Photo credit: Elvert Barnes.

How Others outside of AUC Responded

Collison, Michele N. -K. 1991. "Black Students Have Mixed Views on Gulf War; Some Call It 'Racist,' Others Voice Support." . The Chronicle of Higher Education 37, no. 21: 2.
Chura, Patrick. 2017. "The Mythology of Jackson State." The Chronicle of Higher Education.
"Black Student Protests in World War II, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Virginia", by Shaneka Oliver, University of Virginia.

Supplemental Questions

What were some of the main reasons why African Americans were opposed to military service during the early conflicts of the 20th Century?
How does the exhibit African Americans in Times of War relate to Dubois’s concept of double consciousness, which describes the individual sensation of feeling as though your identity is divided into several parts, making it difficult or impossible to have one unified identity? Explain why or why not.
Lastly, what would you do if you received a draft notice in the mail requiring you to join the military and fight in combat? Would you refuse Army induction like Muhammad Ali in 1967 during the Vietnam War or would you “Come Out Fighting” like the African-American soldiers in the 761st tank battalion, who were one of the most effective tank battalions in World War II?

See additional supplemental questions.