Thomas Dworzak Veteran's Day Parade. WW1. The First World War presented African Americans, subjected to segregation laws and racist violence, with a dilemma: whether or not to serve in the US armed forces. Seen a
(...) s an imperialist war by some African American leaders, others, such as William Du Bois, one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, saw it as a chance to demonstrate their "unfaltering loyalty" to their country. While 380,000 African Americans were called to serve, over half of them in France, soldiers and officers were still trained at segregated training camps. Du Bois wrote of his community's task after the war, “by God in heaven, we are cowards and jackasses if now that the war is over, we do not marshal every ounce of our brain and brawn to fight a sterner, longer, more unbending battle against the forces of hell in our own land.” USA, NY, New York. 2016/11. © Thomas Dworzak | Magnum Photos