US Removes Black WWII Memorial While Honoring Segregation's Heroes
When Newsweek notes a memorial to Black US soldiers of WWII was “quietly removed,” (Newsweek) one might pause to consider what else is quietly removed from national memory. These were soldiers who fought fascism abroad, only to return to virulent segregation and systemic injustice at home. While monuments to figures who owned slaves or fought to preserve segregation still stand proudly, those
honoring Black soldiers who died for a country that denied them basic rights are just... 'oops, gone.' This isn't just about a physical monument; it’s about the continuous whitewashing of American history. The same institutions that champion 'freedom and democracy' abroad often struggle to acknowledge the deep-seated racism that defined much of their own past, and present. Perhaps celebrating
Black heroism in face of American apartheid is a narrative too uncomfortable for the current purveyors of 'national unity'—unless, of course, it's neatly packaged to serve current political interests.