Tackling military segregation on the silver screen


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They have been called the Greatest Generation, but some of the valiant soldiers of World War II may be overlooked in common history—for no other fault than the color of their skin.

World War II not only changed the world; it changed the face of the American military. In 1941, the U.S. armed forces employed fewer than 4,000 African-Americans, and only 12 had received the rankings of an officer, according to the National World War II Museum. By 1945, the number of black soldiers had swelled to 1.2 million, serving both at home and in the European and Pacific theaters.

Despite increasing numbers of African-Americans in the armed forces, bigotry was prevalent. Most black soldiers were assigned to non-combat duties, including maintenance and transportation. One group, now known as the Red Ball Express, may have been instrumental in securing the Allied victory in France, driving supply trucks day and night for the U.S. Army. Of these dedicated drivers, 75 percent were black, according to historynet.com.

Tackling military segregation on the silver screen
Photo: Saints and Soldiers: The Void

A story from the Red Ball Express is now being told in the new film “Saints and Soldiers: The Void,” out in theaters Aug. 15. The film tells the account of Jesse Owens, an African-American soldier who fights both the obvious enemies wearing a different uniform, and the enemy within his own ranks; the racism rampant in the United States military.

For audiences of the third installment of the “Saints and Soldiers” franchise, the idea of segregation and racism in the U.S. military may seem like foreign concepts. But for Danor Gerald, who portrays Owens in the film, race issues like segregation and bigotry are nothing new. A native of Mississippi, Gerald grew up experiencing racially fueled situations—some that even became violent.

“I’ve been in some very ugly racial situations,” Gerald said. “I’ve been through as much racial tension as I could without it becoming life-threatening.”

But getting into the character of Jesse Owens took more than growing up in the South. Listed as the first cast member, Gerald had the privilege of being the first to eat on set. But he purposefully chose to be the last in line every day.

Tackling military segregation on the silver screen
Photo: Saints and Soldiers: The Void

“If this was 1945, that’s how it would be,” said Gerald, who admitted that the rest of the crew was uncomfortable with his decision. “It was really effective for me. Some days there wasn’t much food left, but it helped me feel what my character embodied.”

Tasked with playing a fictionalized character that played an important role in history, Gerald drew heavily on his own research. The segregation of armies in the war was not surprising to him, but what those armies accomplished was.

“The first thing that struck me was that this was a story about African-Americans driving tanks in World War II,” Gerald recalled. “I had no idea that happened. I felt like I was going to help educate people through this movie. I thought it would open a lot of peoples’ eyes.”

Opening eyes to injustice may be what the film did, but it’s also essentially what African-Americans serving in World War II accomplished themselves.

“Not soon after World War II, the army was desegregated and people began to realize the hypocrisy in the situation,” Gerald said. “In the military, people started to change the way they thought of blacks. The Red Ball Express was credited with getting the flag to the front lines. Once they went over there and fought with valor, peopled started to change the way they viewed the military.”

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