They Fought for Democracy Abroad. At Home, Racism Won — Until Now  - The Sacramento Observer

They Fought for Democracy Abroad. At Home, Racism Won — Until Now  - The Sacramento Observer

By Joseph Williams | Word In Black Overview: Formed in 1913, the 369th New York Army National Guard unit earned the Hellfighters nickname from German soldiers who fought against them. Besides helping turn the tide of the war, the Hellfighters brought jazz music to France. (WIB) – It took more than a century, and a literal act of Congress, to happen. It came decades after the last of them — Black World War I combat veterans who had survived the b…