The U.S. military has been racially integrated for less than a century, and the nation has fought some of the most significant wars with segregated troops. As this week’s guest will tell us, the often overlooked role of African Americans in the second World War is important; black troops fought in combat, supplied other troops with food and ammunition, and built key infrastructure that allied militaries relied on in winning the war. Matthew Delmont’s new book is Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and abroad. Delmont teaches history at Dartmouth college and is the author of 4 previous books, all relating to civil rights and African American history. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017 and was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Award two years ago.

Ezra