Mistreatment of African Americans During WWI 

Initially African Americans troops were not allowed to directly participate in the WWI because whites political/military leaders feared that blacks would begin to act as if they earned the right to true citizenship by fighting against the Germans. With this being the attitude, the Harlem Hell Fighters actively fought two wars during this time, one against the Germans and another against the white American troops. 

Even before the Hell Fighters arrived in France, they were faced with blatant discrimination by the whites. While still station in New York, the 369^th regiment had poor training due to the lack of support by the white leaders in office. Not supplied with any equipment, they were forced to use whatever makeshift tools available in order to have some sort of military preparation. Major General Nathaniel James, a former Commander of the 369^th Regiment recalls having to use broom sticks as weapons, digging up people’s backyards to build trenches, and trying to make due with whatever they can find. Furthermore, the the 369^th regiment was not allowed to march in the farewell parade for the National Guard’s Rainbow Division. The reasoning behind this act being: “black is not a color in the Rainbow.”

The Harlem Hell Fighters were mobilized to spend the beginning of the war in Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina. At this camp, the 369^th regiment spent months doing manual labor in the Jim Crow South. This was also the fate of many other black units across the country because of the white Americans trying to lock them out of the war. Racial tensions between African American soldiers and Southern Whites began to rise often sparking violent incidents, a precursor of what was to come after the war was over.

One example of racial tensions boiling over between black veterans and Southern whites can be found when looking at the incident in Houston, Texas on August 23^rd 1917. Black soldiers of the 3rd battalion of the 24^th infantry decided to take stand against the discrimination they often faced from the Southern whites, especially the local law enforcement. This encounter resulted in the death of sixteen white civilians and police officers, and the death of four black soldiers. Furthermore, 110 African American soldiers were court-martialed, 63 of them receiving life sentences, and another 13 being hung without a trial. Not only were the African American soldiers not treated with respect like their white counter parts, they weren’t allowed to defend themselves against racism either without unjust repercussions being bestowed upon them.

Fearing the rising tensions between the Southern Whites and the 369^th regiment, Commander William Hayward petitioned to cut short boot camp and allow them to them to set up base in France. On December 27^th 1917, the 369^th regiment arrived in Brest France. Upon arriving to France, the members of the 369^th regiment were still treated as second class citizens by their white counterparts. James Jones, a Harlem Hell Fighter veteran, recalls experiencing racism from America’s own Red Cross. He remembers that it was policy that the Red Cross open up their doors and serve coffee to their fellow Americans, however, they did not serve the African American troops. And Once again, they were subjugated to the same labor tasks like the other all-black units still back in the United States. James Jones stating, “Every morning we would assembly, march down to St. Nazaire and do work…This we done from January to the End of March.”