Their immediate joy
was somewhat dampened when they found that discrimination still
continued in some quarters. Nevertheless, the F.E.P.C. did
condemn discrimination when it found it, and, as the result, many
new jobs began to open up for Negroes.
Once America was drawn into the fighting, Afro-Americans hurried
to the enlistment centers to volunteer their services in the war
against Hitler's philosophy. However, it soon became clear that
America intended to fight racism with a segregated army. The fact
that Negroes were confined to the more menial positions in the
armed forces was what irritated Afro-Americans the most. The
Negro army units were obviously going to be led by white
officers. The Marine Corps was still not accepting any Negroes in
its ranks at all. Complaints again began to pour into Washington.
Afro-Americans generally admitted that the Selective Service Act
per se was not discriminatory and that it was applied impartially
in most places. One of the reasons for this impartiality,
undoubtedly, was the fact that both local and national Selective
Service Boards included Afro-American representation.
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