The GI Bill signed into law by President Roosevelt on June 22, 1944, gave a host of benefits to returning soldiers, including free college tuition, unemployment benefits, house loans, and more.
Black soldiers returning home from WWII however, were not met with a hero's welcome. Racism trumped our service to most whites and this showed in the military’s denial of GI Bill benefits to thousands of Black soldiers.
Black soldiers were denied access to mortgages and college tuition, keeping us from buying homes and gaining education for better jobs.
As the United States’ middle class grew wider, wealth and opportunity within the Black community fell behind, even as we fought for the country’s “freedom.”
Government denial also led to the rise of our people being heavily populated within cities. Moving to the newly established suburbs at the time just wasn’t an option because many of us could not afford to live the middle class American lifestyle.
United States military denying Black WWII vets their GI Bill benefits was a calculated systemic action to stop us from advancing financially in this country. Our labor will always be used against our own interests in this system leaving us with nothing in the end. Our battle continues.