“It was the lot of the Fifity-fourth to bear the brunt of the struggle against the bitter injustice of inferior pay to which black troops were subjected, and the further struggle to secure for the enlisted men who earned it by intelligence and bravery, the right to rise from the ranks and serve as officers.” InequalityCivil WarInfantryUs ArmyBlack SoldiersUnequal Pay Book:History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865 Source: History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865
“While stationed in Fort Jackson, I experienced racial prejudice for the first time and came to the understanding that humans are not born with prejudice, but learn prejudice. Back home in South Dakota, I only knew one black American. The Scandinavians in my community treated him just like any other Swede; my family considered him a friend. My parents taught me, and I believed that all men are equal because God created all men in His image. One day during a week end furlough, I boarded a crowded city bus. As I walked down the aisle, I looked for an open seat. Looking towards the rear of the bus, I noticed three huge, young black men sitting on a bench in the back. I decided to squeeze onto the bench with them. As I sat down, a woman said in a very loud voice, "What is that white soldier doing in our part of the bus?" Neither my life experiences nor my education prepared me for what I experienced walking the streets of Fort Jackson. I saw water fountains for whites only, barbershops for blacks only, and separation for most aspects of Southern living. I discovered that the feelings of prejudice ran deeply amongst many of the people that we encountered. In fact, the blacks even trained separately from the whites during our military preparation, even though we all worked towards defending the United States of America.” RacismWorld War IiSegregationRacial PrejudiceSouth DakotaRacial SegregationRacism In The WestBlack AmericansWhite AmericansAmerican SoldiersBlack SoldiersBus SegregationFort Jackson Book:Prisoner of War Number 21860: The World War II Memoirs of Oliver Omanson Source: Prisoner of War Number 21860: The World War II Memoirs of Oliver Omanson