NAACP Has Long History of Commitment to Black Soldiers

Crisis, The, Mar/Apr 2004 by Petrie, Phil W

Thirty-five years ago, NAACP Executive secretary Roy Wilkins created the NAACP Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Division to address the adverse conditions facing African American service personnel. But the NAACP had been involved in the state of African Americans in the military long before that.

In 1914, a Black soldier was wrongly convicted by court martial and sentenced to five years in prison for burglary. Oswald Garrison Villard, one of the NAACP's founders, intervened with the Army's judge Advocate General on behalf of the soldier and was able to gain his freedom.

Three years later, Joel Spingam, then-executive director of the NAACP, successfully lobbied the War Department to organize a camp to train Black officers. A center was established at Fort Des Moines in Iowa, and approximately 1,250 Black men enrolled in the program to become officers. In October 1918, 639 Black officers were commissioned.

During World War I, the NAACP created the Veteran's Assistance Program to aid Black veterans in their demands for benefits. In 1948, at the NAACP's urging, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order No. 9981, which established the Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Forces, prohibiting discrimination in the armed forces.

The Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Division was established in 1969. julius Williams, a World War II veteran, was its first director. Since then, the NAACP has not only led the charge of eliminating racism in the armed services, but also of honoring those who have dedicated their lives to protecting their country.

Each year, the NAACP recognizes those who put their lives on the line with an awards banquet. The gala acknowledges the contributions of the military as a leader in providing equal opportunity.

The goal of the department today, says John Johnson, chief programs officer for the NAACP, is "to focus more on equal opportunity in the military," because despite progress, not "all is well in the services." he points to the disproportionate incarceration rate of Black and Hispanic military personnel, which is similar to that of the civilian population, and the lack of African Americans represented in the higher grades of the service.

"The NAACP's Veterans Affairs Department continually receives complaints from veterans who feel they are being wronged," Johnson says. "There is still work to be done."

- Phil W. Petrie