Podcast
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
The book details the experiences of African-American soldiers during World War II, both at home and abroad, highlighting the racism and segregation they faced within the military and broader American society. The title, "Half American," originates from a letter questioning whether the sacrifices of Black soldiers were worth defending a country that treated them as second-class citizens.
So the title of the book, Half American, comes from a letter that a man named James Thompson wrote in December 1941 shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
— Episode: Honoring The History & Legacy of Black V...
Episode: Honoring The History & Legacy of Black Veterans| B...
The book details the experiences of African-American soldiers during World War II, both at home and abroad, highlighting the racism and segregation they faced within the military and broader American society. The title, "Half American," originates from a letter questioning whether the sacrifices of Black soldiers were worth defending a country that treated them as second-class citizens.
So the title of the book, Half American, comes from a letter that a man named James Thompson wrote in December 1941 shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
What Thompson asks is, should I sacrifice my life to live half American? Is the America I know worth defending?
What he's saying is he is a black American. He's saying about what it means for him and other black Americans to get drafted into a military that is entirely racially segregated.
The army is segregated. It only particularly allows black Americans to serve in supply and logistical roles. By and large, they're not allowed to participate in combat.
In the Navy, black Americans are only allowed to volunteer and be drafted into the messman branch where they essentially will wait on and serve white officers. And at the start of the war, black Americans aren't allowed in the Marine Corps at all.