Belated tributes to African-American war heroes underscore the importance of black history

On Friday, Philadelphia honored Waverly B. Woodson Jr. – a graduate of Overbrook High School and Lincoln University – by adding his name to a street sign near his childhood home in the Carroll Park neighborhood of West Philadelphia.

The heroism of Woodson, a World War II veteran, will be a revelation to most. African Americans were not shown in war newsreels, nor were they featured in films about D-Day, such as The longest day And The soldier James Ryan. Nevertheless, about 2,000 black soldiers landed on the beaches of Omaha and Utah.

As an amateur historian, I first learned of Woodson’s bravery in 1997, when the Army published The exclusion of black soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War IIThis book highlighted the bravery of several individuals whose actions above and beyond the call of duty were “overlooked” for the award of our nation’s highest military decoration for valor.

This oversight was corrected in 1997, when seven soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. Unfortunately, most of Woodson’s military records were destroyed in a major fire in 1973 (which coincidentally occurred on July 12). Woodson did not receive the Medal of Honor.

It is sad that America must look to Germany to learn how to reconcile the present with history. From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany murdered over a third of the world’s Jews and destroyed thousands of synagogues and cemeteries, as well as Jewish schools and community buildings. Immediately after the end of World War II, Germany coddled known Nazi war criminals and did little to acknowledge its sins.

But in recent decades, Holocaust education has become mandatory in German schools. Today, there are hundreds of historical markers and memorials in Germany commemorating the official persecution of Jews. Destroyed synagogues have been rebuilt. Over 100,000 brass Stolpersteine ​​have been permanently installed on the sidewalk in front of buildings where Jews lived before they were murdered during the Nazi era.

The descendants of survivors of the Middle Passage, which claimed the lives of well over a million Africans on its gruesome journey to America, have suffered slavery, debt bondage, leasing, lynching, state-sanctioned pogroms, discrimination, segregation, discrimination and police brutality. Until recently, however, American schools were unwilling to teach this full shameful history.

More than two decades ago, attorney Michael Coard began his campaign to add historical references to the legacy of slavery to Independence Mall. Thanks to his efforts, the stories of how slave owners Martha and George Washington kept their “property” just a stone’s throw from the Cradle of Liberty can be found on the President’s Mansion website, now a must-see for every student and tourist.

Before 1990, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission had only erected two of its distinctive blue and gold historical markers honoring African-American individuals, institutions, or events in black history. Charles L. Blockson, the noted scholar of black history, devoted the next 30 years of his life to getting the commission to erect over 50 markers with African-American motifs.

Today, there are efforts to limit the teaching of black history and recognize that America has a racist legacy.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently stated that slaves benefited from slavery.

During her race for the Republican presidential nomination, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley did not mention slavery when she was first asked about the causes of the Civil War.

African Americans were not featured in World War II newsreels, nor in films about D-Day.

Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos stated that colleges and universities were founded in the past to provide free school choice for blacks, while ignoring the fact that many predominantly white institutions excluded African-American students from the founding process.

The lasting recognition of Woodson’s bravery brings his story to the forefront. Hopefully, more stories of previously unknown African-American heroes will follow.

The study of African American involvement in World War II should not be limited to Dorie Miller and the Tuskegee Airmen. Over one million black men, 6,500 black members of the Women’s Army Corps, and 500 black nurses served in North Africa, Liberia, Italy, Western Europe, Great Britain, Australia, Guadalcanal, Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima, India, China, Hawaii, Alaska, and every state.

The challenges these brave soldiers faced while facing segregation and discrimination in the military—while being expected to fight fascism overseas—became the crucible that forged in them a postwar spirit that forever transformed America into a land “where there is liberty and justice for all.” Their stories must be told.

Paul L. Newman is an amateur historian of African-American history. He has written a mini-series docudrama about the African-American civil rights movement in the first half of the 20th century.