Double V campaign
By serving in the military and showing their dedication to their country, African Americans hoped to be a valuable part of the war effort as a way to demand liberty and citizenship.
In particular through President Roosevelt's issuing of Executive Order 8802 that banned employment discrimination in defence industries and civilian agencies of the federal government on grounds of race, creed or colour.
[9] There was no established place for African Americans as Jim Crow segregation laws within America had kept White and Black people in separate social spheres.
Likewise, the FBI conducted their own investigation through its RACON (racial conditions in America) report, discovering that despite strong numbers of support in the war effort by African Americans, the discriminatory policies present at home as well as in the armed forces undermined US attempts to create a unified nation as well as highlighted the contradictions in American involvement in fighting against the oppression Nazi Germany, while displaying significant amounts of racism and xenophobia at home.
[13] The Pittsburgh Courier in particular helped to shed more light on the achievements of African Americans serving in the army and navy, as well as challenge the segregationist policies that existed in these branches.
[18] Among African Americans, the Double V campaign had a 91% approval rating and was supported by various institutions and organizations, such as North Carolina A&T State University and United Automobile Workers.
Support for the campaign was bolstered by wartime events such as the Port Chicago disaster and the Agana race riot, which underscored the disparities Black soldiers faced.
The campaign also played a role at home in encouraging defense industries to hire African American employees who left the South in large numbers for the urban North and West Coast during the Second Great Migration to help the nation's war effort.
[19] The 'Double V Campaign' did however aid in reshaping attitudes within the armed forces regarding race, helping to legitimise the role African Americans played in the US war effort in the eyes of society at large.
This came in the form of a report ("Attitudes of the Negro Soldier") issued by the Research Branch of the Special Service Division of the US armed forces, which made the suggestions that important military duties should be assigned to black soldiers while news of military achievements performed by black soldiers should receive greater coverage and recognition, all done in an effort to convey to US citizens the crucial role played by African Americans in winning the war [20] The press had a vital role in creating and spreading the idea of Double V in an effort to get more readers and Black men to enroll in the Army and support the war effort, as it was not a "white man's war."
In addition, it was also a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had encouraged five editors of the top Black newspapers in the United States to reduce the discontent and apathy of their readers toward the war.
However, it is still considered to be a turning point within African American history which led to unity among the Black population in regard to achieving this double victory in the long run.
