It was perhaps the most important civil right achievement in US history. On #TDIDCH: July 26 1948, POTUS Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981 ending discrimination in the military.
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Truman’s order ended a long-standing practice of segregating Black soldiers and relegating them to more menial jobs. [footnote: the Women's Army Corps was open to black soldiers prior to EO 9981].
3 of 6: Truman didn't want to do this. For more than 2 years, however, civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph had been placing political pressure on Truman by inspiring key parts of the country w/ tales of black soldiers during WWII. [Truman was 99 days away from an election]
4 of 6: While this morning many websites are commemorating Truman today, Randolph is a figure worthy of honor today. For Truman, EO 9981 was a political calculation. For Randolph, it was an effort to transform American society.
5 of 6: While neither the country was transformed immediately (many Army uniformed / civilian leaders, including SecArmy Kenneth Claiborne Royall, refused to desegregate the Army for a year + after the order), EO 9981 stands as a profound and lasting achievement for the Nation.
FINAL TWEET: Despite setbacks [& with acknowledged more work to do] it's hard to find any American institution that has been as successful or effective in making systemic racial integration work.
So, here's to you, A. Philip Randolph, from all of us!
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