Military Service
African Americans living in Connecticut, including in Hartford, served in the military and National Guard during World War I. Ironically, African Americans fighting on behalf of freedom and democracy fought in segregated units. As with other American soldiers, some saw fighting action abroad, while others received training. Some African American soldiers from Hartford even received commissions as officers. Whatever their role in the military during the war, serving in the conflict did not necessarily mean that African American soldiers gained equality to and respect from European Americans.
When African Americans returned from the war, they often experienced the same employment challenges that they had experienced before they entered the service. For instance, Harry Sidney Jones of Hartford claimed he was promised he could keep his job at the Red Cross, but upon his return found that the organization had “put a man in my place.” Unfortunately for Jones, he lost his job and remained unable to find employment.