By Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel
ENCINITAS, California — I recently heard PBS television host, Christiane Amanpour remark (really a question) to her guest, “I thought Black veterans of World War II did not receive benefits of the G.I. Bill of Rights.” Her statement passed without further comment, but not for me.
As a veteran of WW II, I am familiar with the G.I. Bill of Rights and knew she was not technically correct. However, at this very moment thousands of protestors, Black and White, are marching on our city streets demanding an end to police brutality against Black men and women. With Amanpour’s remark burning in my mind and hearing those voices in the streets, I had to check what really happened to Black veterans 75 years ago.
I am grateful to freelance writer Erin Blakemore for some of the material I found in her article for History.
The G. I. Bill of Rights was signed into law in 1944 by President Franklin Roosevelt. It promised benefits to veterans for education tuition, unemployment insurance, low-interest mortgages to purchase homes and grants to start new businesses
It was a boon for returning White veterans who received all those fine benefits Unfortunately, these same benefits were overwhelmingly blocked and denied for Black veterans.
Although the G.I. Bill was meant for all veterans, the deep and inherent anti -Black racism was a long-time part of our culture. This was especially true in the hearts, minds and actions of congressional politicians, bankers, employers, and even the Veterans Administration.
Each of these segments of our economy, business and educational institutions deftly blocked and denied Black veterans their rightful benefits. Their multiple acts of racism were mean, spiteful, and destroyed the futures of millions of Black veterans of WWII and their families.
When lawmakers were drafting the G.I. Bill of Rights in 1944, some Southern Democrats feared that returning Black veterans would use public sympathy for veterans to advocate against lynching under Jim Crow laws of the south.
The virulent racist Representative John Rankin of Mississippi, who chaired the House Veterans Committee, insisted the G. I. program be administered by individual states instead of the federal government, thus making it easier for any state to stymie Black veterans from applying for their deserved benefits.
Home Loans Denied — In 1947, 3,200 VA-guaranteed home loans in 13 Mississippi cities went to Wahite veterans. Only two went to Black veterans. In New York and northern New Jersey suburbs fewer than 100 mortgages were granted to Black veterans compared to 67,000 given to White veterans. Benefits for the Black veterans at the V.A. were administered by an all-White Administration at the state and local level
Redlining by banks — Banks used the decades- old practice of drawing maps by race to discriminate and thwart Black vets from receiving home loans and insurance. Poor neighborhoods made no progress while brand new White suburban neighborhoods flourished.
Education denied — Northern universities accepted very few black applicants if any. Southern universities, none. Even if an African-American received tuition the Black colleges were already overcrowded and under funded by the government.
African-American veterans in the North fared somewhat better but still didn’t receive a higher education in numbers anywhere near their White peers. College choices for women were also slim sincemen almost always received enrollment preference.
Denied Unemployment Insurance — African American veterans who applied for unemployment benefits were kicked out of the program if they refused to accept work that paid below a living wage. To make matters even worse, some Southern U.S. post offices were accused of refusing to deliver applications for unemployment benefits to Black veterans
The original 1944 G. I. Bill of Rights ended in July 1956. By that time, nearly 8 million World War II veterans received education training, and 4.3 million home loans worth $33 billion had been handed out. But most Black veterans received zilch.
The already stark wealth gap between Black and White Americans became worse especially for veterans and their families. The median income for White households in 2017 was $68,145. For Black households, it was $40,258.
So, was Christine Amanpour right or wrong when she basically questioned whether Black veterans had received benefits of the G.I. Bill of Rights in 1944?
In essence and reality, she was sadly correct. Although it was inscribed in the original Bill that all benefits be equally dispensed, only a minimal percentage of Black American veterans received their rightful share.
Those who were denied would be justified to call it The G.I. Bill of Wrongs.
Addendum: The 1944 G.I. Bill of Rights has since been expanded, broadened and more democratically supervised.
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Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel is cantor emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel in San Diego. He may be contacted via sheldon.merel@sdjewishworld.com
I’m a veteran but not of WWII. How in the hell could the processors distinguish who was white and who was black. I can’t believe any of this BS you write here with unproven, unsubstantiated statistics you are most likely gaming to make a case. All BS. The people that I associated with throughout my life financially and otherwise never thought in racist terms e.g. black vs white.
I wanted to submit a brief response to Bob’s comments above. You may be aware that the Federal Housing Administration (which was established in 1934) advanced segregation efforts by refusing to insure mortgages in, and near, African-American neighborhoods — a policy known as “redlining.” The race of the applicants for home loans under the G.I. Bill were therefore identified by the physical locations of their properties.
Wrote my Dissertation on the GI Bill. There was a lot of discrimination not overtly designed by the government., Many Americans were demobilized so quickly the GI Bill. Information was communicated in segregated theaters and others places. Also, the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, not the Govt communicated to its membership about the Bill. Remember information was not shared electronically back in the 1940s.