African American freedom struggle was mainly intensified by World War II due to the fact that Black people were forced to battle institutionalized racism and discrimination both at home and in Europe. Although the US needed additional soldiers in order to be victorious in WW2, African American men were often ignored by military officials. They included Black people in the army only due to the lack of White soldiers. For instance, Black soldiers were under severe discrimination during training and promotion in preparation for World War II.
Black people’s fight against institutionalized racism became twice as difficult because fascism regarded them as “the lowest” race. Thus, African American soldiers battling the German enemy had to ignore that they were discriminated against by their own military. Moreover, they were forced to fight discrimination on two frontiers, because both the United States and Germany did not recognize them as equals to white people.
In addition, Black soldiers were not fully acknowledged for their heroism after WW2. For example, Dorie Miller’s prospects to get promoted and be assigned to combat positions were not improved because institutionalized racism was widespread in the US. African American people’s fight in the United States for equal rights was met with delayed responses from various government officials due to World War II. For example, a number of social complaints took significantly more time to be reviewed by ministries than in the pre-WW2 period.
In conclusion, it is important to note that Black people were already struggling to improve their political and social position in the US. However, the start of WW2 led to the fight on two frontiers. It forced African American soldiers to experience institutionalized racism from their own military officials and German Nazi enemies. These critical factors made the fight for freedom highly challenging.