We Return Fighting
New book tells the untold story of African American soldiers
“Some of the colored men of the 369th (15th N.Y.) who won the Croix de Guerre for gallantry in action.” Left to right. Front row: Pvt. Ed Williams, Herbert Taylor, Pvt. Leon Fraitor, Pvt. Ralph Hawkins. Back Row: Sgt. H. D. Prinas, Sgt. Dan Strorms, Pvt. Joe Williams, Pvt. Alfred Hanley, and Cpl. T. W. Taylor. 1998 print of 1919 photograph. Records of the War Department General and Special. Staffs. (165-WW-127-8)
Date 1919
The history of Veterans Day is rooted in World War I. On November 11, 1918, a suspension of hostilities between the Allied Nations and Germany was declared. The following year, Armistice Day was celebrated on the anniversary to honor the end of “the war to end all wars.” This day eventually became Veterans Day to honor all those who have fought to defend their country.
When African American soldiers served in World War I, they were fighting abroad for rights they could not even call their own back home. And far from being celebrated by their nation when the war was over, they returned to the same segregation and increased anti-black violence. Through incredible essays and photographs, We Return Fighting: World War I and the Shaping of Modern Black Identity traces the efforts of black soldiers and how they returned to the U.S. with a strengthened determination to win their civil rights.
Paying homage not only to men and women who served their country, but also those who made contributions on the home front, this book captures a holistic representation of the African American experience during World War I. They stood up for their country and in return, demanded their country stand up for their community. While the Civil Rights Movement was decades away, the war established important questions of citizenship and paved the way toward future progress.
About the exhibition
The National Museum of African American History and Culture will mount a a 4,200 sq. ft. temporary exhibition Dec. 13 to accompany the release of We Return Fighting. The exhibition will examine life experiences of African Americans during the World War I era (1913 to 1920)—with interpretations spanning from 1865 to 1963. Though the foundation of the exhibition will be the African American military experience from 1917 to 1919, the exhibition also will offer an inclusive non-military experience focusing on the social, cultural, political, economic and intellectual lives of African Americans before, during and after World War I.
About the Editor
Kinshasha Holman Conwill is the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Previously she was director of the Studio Museum in Harlem.
About the Contributors
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s mission is to provide for the collection, study, and establishment of programs and exhibitions relating to African American life, art, history, and culture. Contributors to this volume include Lonnie G. Bunch III, Lisa Budreau, Brittney Cooper, John Morrow, Krewasky Salter, Chad Williams, Jay Winter, and Jospeh Zimet.
On sale November 5, 2019
About the book
Title: We Return Fighting: World War I and the Shaping of Modern Black Identity
Author: The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
On-Sale Date: 11/5/2019
Price: $19.95/ Pages: 144
ISBN: 9781588346728
Smithsonian Books
Read an excerpt
‘One hundred years ago, France and the rest of the world were healing the wounds of a unique conflict of extraordinary dimensions. The exhibition “We Return Fighting: The African American Experience in World War I,” organized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, concludes, in a remarkable way, the commemoration of the centennial of World War I by acknowledging and paying tribute to the role of African Americans during the war and in the years that followed. We remember the sacrifice of all those who crossed the Atlantic to serve in France, especially the brave soldiers from the four African American units of the 93rd Infantry Division, who fought under French commend, with French equipment and arms,. The critical involvement of these men in combat earned the members of the legendary 369th Infantry Regiment—nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters—the coveted French Croix de Guerre.
Beyond their valor during the war the presence of the solder on French soil forever marked the French cultural landscape and started what can be described as a love story between Paris and the African American community, far from then-segregated America. African American soldiers in France brought with them elements of their own culture, and Paris became obsessed with jazz and black cultural heritage. During the interwar period, in particular, all emerging aspects of African American culture were welcomed and celebrated.’
—From the foreword by Philippe Etiénne, Ambassador of France to the United States
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Posted: 11 November 2019
