During World War I, 300,000 African-Americans served in the military. Most of these soldiers were in supply units but two units, the Harlem Hell Fighters and the Fighting Eighth, were infantry units on the frontline of the war.

The NAACP had a vested interest in showing that African-American were American patriots and were fighting and dying for their country. With the objective of showing how African-Americans help the win the war, W. E. B. DuBois, editor of the NAACP’s magazine the CRISIS, traveled to France to report on the progress of the war.

What DuBois found was a story of the continued struggles which African-Americans faced in trying to achieve first class citizenship.

Presented by Syl Woolford, recognized by the Delaware National Education Association and the NAACP for his contribution to the preservation of African American history. Mr. Woolford is a member of the Delaware Heritage Commission, the Historical and Cultural Affairs Collections Committee, the Historic Preservation Fund, and the Wilmington University History Committee.