A Report On The Harlem Hellfighters

Lastly, discrimination was a major threat to the safety of African American citizens. The government could have more strictly enforced laws of equality and distributed harsher consequences to those disregarding such

The role of African American has changed over the centuries. They were treated differently because of their skin color. They were treated like property for others uses however change happened. It was not a easy matter to change but one of the main reason it did change was because Martin Luther King and his speech “I have a Dream”.

He was able to take leaps in an industry when African Americans were not afforded the opportunities other races were privileged to partake in. During this era segregation was prevalent. African Americans

Once Martin Luther King Jr. said “now is the time to rise from the darkand desolate vally of segregation to the sunlightpath of racal justice”. He said this in his speech in the 1960’s, many African Americans were treathed unfairly. Before the speech something happened. In Birmingham, Alabama something happened that would change America.

This showed that segregation was slowly fading. One of the most important systems in society is the education system. So when this changed so did many other things. African Americans were given more opportunities for jobs and careers. This gave them the chance to become just as important or “big” as white people. “Negroes do not wish to be branded as inferiors by being segregated, and they want to walk the earth as human beings with dignity” (The Atlantic). The process of integration has started to bring equality and is closer to making it so that the black man is not looked down upon by the white

Land ownership was another one of those obstacles. Important to African Americans because they felt they had a right to something that had been developed by their own hands. Eventually African Americans assert their status as freemen to voice their opinion, and as time passes African Americans grow increasing knowledgeable of their rights as citizens, and knowing those rights made life a little easier for blacks in the south. That voice eventually got louder, so when they saw owning land as the highest form of freedom, African Americans everywhere demanded land from the federal government as compensation for the years of slavery they had gone through. (40 acre Wiki) Though most African Americans never received their land, they developed a “nothing is impossible” attitude and it built confidence and courage for any further challenges against their freedoms and rights as citizens.

While many African Americans faced racial inequality, their circumstances was not an obstacle as it permitted them to rebel

The 369th Infantry Regiment otherwise known as the Harlem Hellfighters was the first all-black US combat unit that was shipped during WW I and was crucial in the WWII battles in Hawaii and Okinawa. These members who were skilled and very proud were shipped to Hawaii and protected the Hawaiian islands with antiaircraft from Japanese attack. William De Fossett was one of the main leaders of the 369th regiment, who joined it due to the regiments fame from the waning days of World War I. The original Harlem Hellfighters fought with the French Army and were awarded for their excellent service. De Fossett made the highly selective and demanding requirements of the 369th regiment. He grew up in the highly cultured

He suggested that the African Americans should try to deal with the discrimination issues while they were attaining true equality so their main focus would not be disturbed.

African-American people aren’t the only people that were changed when Jackie Robinson put himself out there to make a change in discrimination. Jackie Robinson inspired many people to be on his side to fight against

Many would argue that the experience of enslavement, segregation, and discrimination continues to limit the life chances and opportunities for African

This made the 369th the only unit to serve in those lines longer than any other American unit, and as previously stated they were less trained as other regiments. Black soldiers were regarded as some of the strongest fighters during the Great War, so much so that the Germans had various names for them. The 369th Infantry were called the Harlem Hellfighters by German forces. The 369th was named this because of their relentless fighting style and where they come from, Harlem. Other regiments were referred as Blutlustige Schwarzmänner meaning bloodthirsty black men. The Germans were scared of these men, so much so, that they airdropped leaflets over the 369th’

Despite this, they were not treated as well as they should be. An example to prove this is stated in the Ernest Green movie when Ernest Green who was African American got the opportunities to go to an all white school with better education to get a good job in the future but, when he got to the school he got the total opposite of a warm welcome. At the school there were now protests to try and stop the transfer of African American students from going into the school.(Laneuville) This proves how the white Americans still had a bad attitude towards African Americans but, they were starting to get better at respecting. Additionally, in Hidden Figures, there are women who worked for NASA. Nevertheless, because of the racism, they had their own little rundown building, and they didn’t get to work alongside the other people who work at NASA. To add to this, there was also more evolution of African American respect, when the director of the friendship 7 spaceship launch, Allan, took down the black and white bathroom signs and said, “we all pee the same color.”(Melfi) which was saying how it doesn’t matter what color we are, we are still made out of the same things, and have the same DNA. This proves how people in the 1950s-1960s were improving with treating African Americans with courtesy.

African Americans wanted to help each other achieve common goals. African Americans wanted to help themselves and their family achieve lifelong objectives. For instance, they wanted freedom and land. African Americans are free and having land will show how far they have come from slavery and show how they are closer to equality. In addition, African Americans wanted to help their children by having schools that they can attend, so they can build their education and knowledge. Namely, learning how to read and write. African American children

They have taken me out of the fighting for a while, due to being unable to bear weight upon my leg. Although I am sure they will push me back out into the trenches once again.