How did African Americans contribute to World War I?

When the
United States entered the First World War in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson, despite his own
racist sympathies, said that all Americans could serve in the war effort. There was such a great
need to quickly build America's fighting force that he really could not afford not to include
such a large part of the population.

Much of the country at the time was a
segregated society, and that held true for the military as well. African Americans were not
permitted to serve in the Marine Corps and could only serve in limited functions in the Navy and
the Coast Guard. Most of those in the Army worked in labor battalions and served to support
combat operations. This would include protecting and running supply lines, cooking, machine
maintenance, and other essential secondary tasks. However, they did not serve directly in combat
operations.

This policy changed with the creation of the 92nd and 93rd
Divisions. These newly created combat units were comprised mostly of
African-American...

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