Date
February 2, 2023
On February 2, 2023, NYHealth hosted a webinar discussion with Dr. Matthew F. Delmont, the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College and author of Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad.
More than 1 million Black Americans served during the Second World War, from storied battles on the beaches of Normandy to the sands of Iwo Jima. But as the war’s popular memory took shape, the experiences and contributions made by these Americans remained on the periphery, if they were mentioned at all. Popular characterizations such as “the Good War” and “the Greatest Generation” have hidden the reality of discrimination within the segregated U.S. armed forces and the violence Black veterans faced after returning home, which continue to have a lasting impact.
Dr. Delmont spoke about the contributions Black Americans made to the war effort domestically and overseas, the struggles they faced upon their return to a country they fought to defend, and the challenges Black service members and veterans face even today.