Seventy-five years ago, the United States Armed Forces were desegregated, a decision that followed years of tumultuous racial conflict and several domestic and international wars. Black service members have long fought for their rights at home by fighting battles abroad to secure equality. Though the sentiment is honorable, historically, they rarely reaped the benefits of their service and some even faced persecution for donning the same uniform as their white brethren. However, the White House acknowledged
these sacrifices and years of bloodshed in a statement from President Joe Biden.“…Today, as we commemorate this milestone on our unending journey toward our more perfect union, we honor the contributions, sacrifice, and resilience of the brave servicewomen and men of every background who stepped up to defend our nation—in so many cases, even before their rights as equals under the law had yet to be realized,” he wrote.
The poignant letter comes during a time of racial division and growing tensions as Black Americans continue their fight for justice and equality.
Biden continued his statement, acknowledging the vast history of Black soldiers who have put their lives on the line out of patriotism. “Black regiments joined the cause of the Union in the Civil War while fighting for their own freedom from enslavement. The Harlem Hellfighters helped turn the tide of World War I but did so while assigned to the French Army because American commanders did not allow them to fight alongside white units. The proud Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 sorties in World War II, only to face discrimination and oppression when they returned home. These stories, and countless others, venerate American heroes who never gave up on our country, and in so doing, relentlessly pushed our nation closer to the ideals of liberty and justice for all.”
While the country still bears remnants of those years before, the desegregation of the Armed Forces was the first move in a long-awaited movement to achieve racial equality.
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