At the very time when Africans and Afro-Americans
were looking forward to the liberation of Africa from European
domination, Italy was extending imperialism even further and
conquering the last remaining independent supposedly black nation
in Africa. Afro-Americans were outraged. They looked to the
League of Nations hoping that it would take decisive action
against the Italian aggression. Their hopes were in vain.
The war that began in 1939 came to be expressed in terms which
were even more ideological than had been true of the First World
War. The Allies depicted themselves as being the champions of
freedom and humanity while they portrayed their enemies as
tyrants and barbarians. Afro-Americans were painfully aware of
some of the imperfections in this simple dichotomy. While aghast
at the racist teachings propagated by Germany, they could not
forget the racism which confronted them daily within the United
States.
They were also aware of the imperialism which was practiced by
both the British and the French who dominated and exploited
Africa almost at will. Nevertheless, Hitler's form of brazen
racism did give a note of validity to this ideological
formulation.
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