“We Too are Americans”: 

The Double V Campaign 

 

Eleanor Polak 

Senior Division 

Historical Paper 

Paper Length: 2,329 words 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the start of the 1940s, the United States threw itself into World War II and the fight against                                     

Nazi principles. But many white Americans failed to notice the hypocrisy in condeming the Germans                             

for racism while encouraging discrimination and segregation in their own country. Black writer                         

Langston Hughes called out their behavior in his poetry: 

 

Cause everything that Hitler 

And Mussolini do, 

Negroes get the same  

Treatment from you.  1

 

The Pittsburgh Courier launched its Double V Campaign in response to the double-standard                         

regarding racism in America. The “V” stood for victory, representing African Americans’ battle for                           

their civil rights, at home and abroad. African Americans in WWII broke barriers by fighting against                               

racism both overseas and on the homefront. They compared the ideology of the Nazis with the “Jim                                 

Crow” discrimination that they still faced in America and advocated for the defeat of both in the                                 

Double V Campaign. 

When, at the end of the 1930s, it became likely that the US would become involved in WWII,                                   

African Americans were indignant. They were asked to fight for the rights that they did not have, a                                   

concept not only troubling, but to some, offensive. Marxist leader C. L. R. James, who wrote under                                 

the pen name J. R. Johnson, published as a series of essays on “Negroes and the War” in 1939. He                                       

urged African Americans to remain uninvolved, expressing a feeling of detachment from the country                           

1 Hughes, Langston. “Beaumont to Detroit: 1943.” (The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, 1943), 281.

of which he did not consider himself a true citizen. “The masses of the Negro people feel that this war                                       

is not [their] war,” he wrote. Johnson was afraid that African Americans would be used as tools to do                                     2

America’s dirty work. He saw little reason to trust political leaders, who spoke of freedom and                               

democracy while African Americans lived with discrimination and often in danger. In the years                           

1882-1968, 4,743 lynchings were recorded in the US, of which 3,446 (72.7%) were of Black people.                               3

There was a reason that Langston Hughes equated Hitler’s methods and ideology to those of the Ku                                 

Klux Klan. Johnson compared the treatment of African Americans, especially in the South, to that of                               4

the Jews in Germany, saying Hitler “learned” from the United States. He felt that he was being asked                                   5

to lay down his life for a country that was not his, one where he was not accepted as a human being                                           

and to which he could therefore not truly belong: 

 

Why should I shed my blood for Roosevelt’s America, for Cotten Ed Smith and                           

Senator Bilbo, for the whole Jim Crow, Negro-hating South, for the low-paid, dirty                         

jobs for which Negroes have to fight, for the few dollars of relief and the insults,                               

discrimination, police brutality and perpetual poverty to which Negroes are                   

condemned even in the more liberal North.  6

 

The same chagrin over a double standard prompted James G. Thompson, in January of 1942,                             

to write a letter to the African American paper The Pittsburgh Courier. However Thompson, a                             

26-year-old Black man from Kansas, harbored more faith in America than the cynical Johnson. He was                               

2 Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— I.” (Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 66, Sept. 6 1939), 2. 3 “History of Lynchings.” (NAACP), 1. 4 Hughes, Langston. “Beaumont to Detroit: 1943,” 281. 5 Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— III.” (Socialist Appeal, Vol. III. No. 68, Sept. 11 1939), 4. 6 Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— II.” (Socialist Appeal, Vol. III. No. 67, Sept. 9 1939), 2.

ready and willing to fight in the war against “evil”, but held reservations about what he was fighting                                   

for, questioning, “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American … is the kind of America I know                                     

worth defending?” Thompson was patriotic, but his loyalty was to the America he dreamed of for the                                 7

future, not the one he was living in in the present. His letter expressed the conflict of so many African                                       8

Americans, and the Courier published it at once. The editor noted its significance, commenting, “We                             

reprint this letter in full because it is symbolic.” The general feeling among the African American                               9

community was that this war was one that they should be fighting not in Germany but in the US itself. 

It was in the second half of his letter that Thompson suggested the idea that sparked a                                 

movement. “Let we colored Americans adopt the double VV for a double victory,” he wrote, “For                               

victory over our enemies without … [and] from within.” The Courier latched on to the idea, and the                                   10

next month, in February, they launched the Double V Campaign. The writer of the article, Edgar T.                                 

Rouzeau, stressed the importance of what was now a “double war,” pointing out that the stakes for                                 

African Americans were only rising higher. He wrote that Black people must now fight “Not merely                               

for the salvation of America … but to establish precedent for a world-wide principle of free association                                 

among men of all races, creeds, and colors.” (Notably, the column directly beside Rouzeau’s reported                             11

a brutal lynching.) Unlike J. R. Johnson’s work, the Double V Campaign encouraged African                           

Americans to fight rather than boycott the war. Rouzeau pointed out that if the US lost, all hope for                                     

racial equality would die alongside democracy. The Double V Campaign asserted that the fight                           12

against discrimination was well worth the sacrifice of going to war. 

7 Thompson, James G. “Letter to the Pittsburgh Courier.” (Pcsb.org, Jan. 1942), 1. 8 Thompson, James G. “Letter to the Pittsburgh Courier,” 2. 9 Thompson, James G. “Letter to the Pittsburgh Courier,” 3. 10 Thompson, James G. “Letter to the Pittsburgh Courier,” 2. 11 Rouzeau, Edgar T. “Black America Wars on Double Front for High Stakes— Rouzeau.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Feb. 1942), 7. 12 Rouzeau, Edgar T. “Black America Wars on Double Front for High Stakes— Rouzeau,” 7.

What was, according to editors, a trial-run of the idea of the campaign quickly took hold. A                                 

week later, The Pittsburgh Courier’s headlines proclaimed the movement was receiving                     

“Country-Wide Support.” With increasing zeal, the paper encouraged African Americans to launch                       13

“a two-pronged attack against our enslavers at home and those abroad who would enslave us.” The                               14

Courier was rapidly becoming more invested in its new campaign: on February 14, the story was given                                 

5.5 times more space than on the week of its announcement. The short article passionately reminded                               15

its readers that “We have a stake in this fight … We are Americans, too!”— the antithesis of Johnson’s                                     

bitter warnings that African Americans had never belonged. In asserting their place in the country,                             16

Black Americans were claiming the rights that it entailed. 

The Pittsburgh Courier was the perfect publication to lead the movement. By the 1930s the                             

Courier was one of the most well-known and highly regarded Black newspapers and a champion of                               

African American rights. The launch of the Double V Campaign propelled the paper to the height of                                 17

its popularity; at one point, it had a national circulation of 200,000.  18

The movement gained further momentum when the emblem attached to the February 14                         

article caught the eye of the people. An eagle, the ultimate American symbol, perched upon two “V”s,                                 

surrounded by the words ``Democracy”, “At home”, and “Abroad”, (see Appendix A). The powerful                           19

image spoke to the public, who sent letters to the paper expressing their enthusiasm. One sender,                               

signing himself Allen C. Woodard, told the editor that he “cut the sketch out and [had] it pasted on                                     

13 “The Courier’s Double V for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-Wide Support.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 14 Feb. 1942), 1. 14 “The Courier’s Double V for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-Wide Support,” 1. 15 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942.” (School of Journalism, Indiana University, Bloomington Ind., August 1989), 5. 16 “The Courier’s Double V for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-Wide Support,” 1. 17 Vann, Robert Lee. “The Pittsburgh Courier” (Pbs.org). 18 Vann, Robert Lee. “The Pittsburgh Courier”. 19 “The Courier’s Double V for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-Wide Support,” 1.

the windshield of [his] car.” The writers eagerly suggested that the symbol be made into signs, pins,                                 20

and stickers, to spread awareness of the movement. And the editors listened— on March 7, a large                                 

photo spread depicted people holding up signs with the emblem on it, and making “V” shapes with                                 

their fingers (see Appendix B). The Courier continued to request and publish letters from readers                             21

expressing their support for the Double V Campaign, letters that passionately repeated their new                           

motto: “We, too, are Americans!”  22

African Americans wanted to win a double victory, but in order to do so, they would have to                                   

be able to fight. The war effort was highly segregated, from the military to how blood donations                                 

seperated by race. Black soldiers were needed to bolster the ranks, but 90% were confined to the dirty                                   23

jobs and kept from distinguished positions. The situation echoed the warnings of Johnson, who                           24

recalled how in the past, “Even when fighting democracy, the Negro was kept in his place.” It was the                                     25

predicament that faced Thompson when he suggested the Double V Campaign to The Pittsburgh                           

Courier: the desire to fight in the war, but without the ability fully to trust in his country. In the                                       

March 7 1942 issue, Frank E. Bolden published an article in which he stressed the vital role of African                                     

American soldiers. Bolden told his readers that it was their duty as Americans to defend their country                                 26

and their freedom, despite the racists that would try to sideline them and drive them off. And many                                   

listened: over 2.5 million Black men registered for the draft, and African American men and women of                                 

20 “Readers Want Double “V” Made into Pins, Emblems.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 21 Feb. 1942), 2. 21 “Double V Campaign Sweeps Nation… Becoming Vogue in Styles!” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Mar. 1942), 12. 22 “Nation Lauds Courier’s “Double V” Campaign: Race Unites for Drive to Secure Real Democracy.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Mar. 1942), 12. 23 Guglielmo, Thomas A. “Desegregating Blood: A Civil Rights Struggle to Remember.” (Beth Daley (Eds.), The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2018), 1. 24 Höhn, Maria. “African-American GIs of WWII: Fighting for Democracy Abroad and at Home.” (Military Times, 30 Jan. 2018), 1. 25 Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— V.” (Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 70, Sept. 15 1939) p. 3.  26 Bolden, Frank E. “The ‘Double V’ is a Plea for National Unity— Those Who Do Not Want Colored People to Participate in War Should Be Classed As Traitors.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Mar. 1942), 12.

all ages aided the war effort on the home front. Black and White Americans “united” over factory                                 27

work (see Appendix C) and campaigning for the (single) “V” movement (see Appendix D). African                             

Americans faced rampant discrimination in the war effort, yet they pushed past it in order to aid their                                   

country. 

Meanwhile, the Courier was carrying on strong with their campaign. Their March 21 issue                           

featured another photo spread (see Appendix E), accompanied by more letters of support, and a                             

summarization of the meaning and goals of the Double V Movement. The explanation strategically                           28

used words to appeal to all races, referencing “harmony,” “patriotism,” “union,” and even linking it to                               

President Roosevelt. “The Double V combines in a very terse fashion the aims and ideals of all men,                                   29

black as well as white,” read the article, praising the succinctness of the campaign. The advertising                               30

appeared to be working, as the next week the Courier gleefully reported increased demands for                             

“Double V” merchandise. Political leaders in Washington DC stepped forward to show their support                           31

for the Double V. Congressman and House Majority Leader John W. McCormack enthusiastically                         32

praised the movement, saying that it represented President Roosevelt and the American view. “In this                             

war we are not fighting alone for democracy as a theory, but for democracy as a rule of every-day life,”                                       

he said in a statement. The Courier’s vision for true American equality was beginning to resonate                               33

with the public. 

27 Burger, Barbara Lewis. “Pictures of African Americans During World War II.” (National Archives). 28 “All Americans can Rally around the “Double V” Slogan.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 21 Mar. 1942), 12. 29 “All Americans can Rally around the “Double V” Slogan,” 12. 30 “All Americans can Rally around the “Double V” Slogan,” 12. 31 “Requests for ‘Double V’ Emblems Flood Office: Courier Staff Busy Preparing to Meet Demands of Readers.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 28 Mar. 1942), 12. 32 “Nation’s Leaders Give Support to ‘Double V’ Drive.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 4 April 1942), 1. 33 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942.” (School of Journalism, Indiana University, Bloomington Ind., August 1989), 7.

The Double V movement belonged to The Pittsburgh Courier, but as its influence grew and                             

spread, other newspapers began to take notice. On April 26, 1942, The Oakland Tribune (based in                               

Oakland, California) published a report on the campaign. In the condescendingly-named column                       34

“Activities of Negroes,” Lena M. Wysinger penned an article offering a concise summary of the                             

Double V Campaign and its intentions. Wysinger transcribed what she referred to as the “Double V                               

Creed”: 

 

We pledge allegiance to the United States of America— to its all-out victory over the                             

forces of our enemies on the battlefronts of every section of the world. We pledge                             

allegiance to the principles and tenets of democracy as embodied in the Constitution                         

of the United States and the Bill of Rights. To full participation in the fruits of this                                 

victory both at home and abroad, we pledge our all.  35

 

Wysinger called for integration in the war effort, removing the poll-tax and allowing African                           

Americans to take part in all aspects of protecting democracy. She demanded that Black people should                               

have their part in the victory against “the vicious philosophies as espoused by our common enemies.”  36

Not all the readers of the Courier were so enthusiastic: for all its popularity, there were many                                 

people who were against the Double V Campaign. White press accused the African Americans of                             

attempting to derail the war effort by staging their own revolution. Major African American                           37

organizations like the NAACP supported the Double V, but the Black publication Journal and Guide                             

34 Wysinger, Lena M.“Keen Interest Shown Here in Double V Victory Program.” (The Oakland Tribune; Oakland, California; 26 Apr. 1942), 24.  35 Wysinger, Lena M.“Keen Interest Shown Here in Double V Victory Program,” 24. 36 Wysinger, Lena M.“Keen Interest Shown Here in Double V Victory Program,” 24. 37 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942,” 26.

dismissed it as immature and overzealous. It critiqued the paper’s goal of complete racial integration,                             38

called its leaders “inept” and “void of the qualities of statesmanship,” and expressed a fear that the                                 

Double V Campaign was giving all African Americans a bad name. In 1942, the Federal Government                               39

and the FBI became suspicious of the Black press, who retaliated against investigations with claims of                               

First Amendment Right violations. While The Pittsburgh Courier laughed off government efforts,                       40

even relishing the publicity, towards the end of 1942 the campaign began to die out. On the 24th of                                     

October, 1942, the Courier published the results of a poll: “Do you believe that the Negro should soft                                   

pedel his demands for complete freedom and citizenship and wait for the developement of the                             

educational process?” According to the publication, 88.7% of those surveys replied with a definite                           41

no, that it was the time to speak up and assert their claim to equal rights. Only 9.2% answered with a                                         

yes, and 2.1% remained uncertain. It was the last article on the Double V Campaign that The                                 42

Pittsburgh Courier published. 

Over the course of the year 1942, The Pittsburgh Courier ran a total of 469 articles, 380                                 

photographs, and 121 drawings relating to the Double V Campaign. What started as the thought                             43

child of one young man grew and spread to be a symbol of hope for African Americans across the                                     

nation. James G. Thompson himself took over as leader of the movement he had unknowingly started                               

in June of 1942, a position he kept until, in February 1943, he went off to fight in the war. He joined                                           44

the service with his dream still unachieved: Black people in America were still segregated, still                             

oppressed, still treated with tactics befitting the Nazis he was going to fight. In 1943, poet Langston                                 

38 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942,” 25. 39 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942,” 26. 40 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942,” 27. 41 “Double V’ Wins in Courier Poll.” (The Pittsburgh Courier, 24 Oct. 1942), 1. 42 “Double V’ Wins in Courier Poll,” 1. 43 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942,” 16. 44 Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942,” 16.

Hughes echoed his initial anger, the resentment felt by J. R. Johnson, felt by so many other African                                   

Americans: 

 

You jim crowed me 

Before Hitler rose to power— 

And you’re STILL jim crowing me, 

Right now, this very hour. 

 

Yet you say we’re fighting 

For democracy 

Then why don’t democracy 

Include me? 

 

I ask you this question 

Cause I want to know— 

How long I got to fight 

BOTH HITLER— AND JIM CROW  45

 

The Double V Campaign did not end discrimination, or even segregation, in America. The                           

African Americans who served in World War II fought and died for a human right that they were                                   

denied in their own country. But The Pittsburgh Courier and its work to create a movement was a                                   

45 Hughes, Langston. “Beaumont to Detroit: 1943,” 281.

significant step towards a future in which the United States could work towards truly calling itself a                                 

democracy. The Double V Campaign broke barriers to combat racism and discrimination in a fight                             

that spread and had a long-lasting influence beyond World War II. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix A 

 

 

 

Photo of the Double V emblem published in The Pittsburgh Courier. Source: “The Courier’s Double                             

V for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-Wide Support.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 14 Feb.                           

1942, p. 1. Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33240614&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsIn

R5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY2OTg5LCJpYXQiOjE1NzY0MzA5OD

ksImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxNzM4OX0.OaKe7oaixl_sfyTWNJhAEWNjzoRwhLY7CxFR3WSg88Y. 

 

 

 

 

Appendix B 

 

 

Photo spread in The Pittsburgh Courier showing the popularity of the Double V Campaign.                           

Source:“Double V Campaign Sweeps Nation… Becoming Vogue in Styles!” Newspapers.com, The                     

Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Mar. 1942, p. 12. 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33243623&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsIn

R5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MDcyLCJpYXQiOjE1Nzk5Nzk3MjUs

ImV4cCI6MTU4MDA2NjEyNX0.kgvHM_tXeg_7qekCGsSYRRgIQyLeJq3Ze93IWqw72Mo. 

 

 

 

Appendix C 

 

 

Poster showing Black and White Americans uniting over factory work to help the war effort. Source:                               

Burger, Barbara Lewis. “Pictures of African Americans During World War II.” National Archives,                         

https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/ww2-pictures. 

 

Appendix D 

 

 

Photo showing African Americans campaigning for the (single) V movement. Source: Burger, Barbara                         

Lewis. “Pictures of African Americans During World War II.” National Archives, 

https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/ww2-pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix E 

 

 

Another photo spread for The Pittsburgh Courier promoting the Double V Campaign. Source: “All                           

Americans can Rally around the “Double V” Slogan.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 21 Mar. 1942, p. 12.                               

Newspapers.com,  

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33243863&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsIn

R5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MTIwLCJpYXQiOjE1NzY0Mjc2MD

YsImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxNDAwNn0.cGbp_ylhz5cNt2IfL7g5blxvjQrlv-TwlVkV15fuE84. 

 

 

 

Annotated Bibliography 

 

Primary Sources 

 

Journals 

 

Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— I.” Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 66, Sept. 6 1939, p. 3.                                     

Marxists’ Internet Archive,  

https://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1939/09/negro-war.html. 

Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— II.” Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 67, Sept. 9 1939, p. 3.                                     

Marxists’ Internet Archive,   

https://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1939/09/negro-war.html. 

Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— III.” Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 68, Sept. 11 1939, p. 3.                                     

Marxists’ Internet Archive,  

https://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1939/09/negro-war.html. 

Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— IV.” Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 69, Sept. 13 1939, p. 3.                                     

Marxists’ Internet Archive,  

https://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1939/09/negro-war.html. 

Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— V.” Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 70, Sept. 15 1939, p. 3.                                     

Marxists’ Internet Archive,   

https://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1939/09/negro-war.html. 

Johnson, J. R. “Negroes and the War— IX.” Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 75, Oct. 3 1939, p. 3.                                     

Marxists’ Internet Archive,  

https://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1939/09/negro-war.html. 

 

These sources are articles from a series written by J. R. Johnson arguing why African                             

Americans should not only not participate in, but protest the war. J. R. Johnson (real name C.                                 

L. R. James) was an influential socialist writer. These essays gave me a good idea of the outrage                                   

felt by African Americans at the insult of being asked to fight for a country that didn’t accept                                   

them as full citizens. Although these articles aren’t in support of the Double V Campaign, they                               

help outline the desperate need for one as an alternative to not fighting in the war at all. 

 

 

Articles 

 

“All Americans can Rally around the “Double V” Slogan.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 21 Mar. 1942, p.                               

12. Newspapers.com,  

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33243863&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MTIwLCJpYXQiOjE1N

zY0Mjc2MDYsImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxNDAwNn0.cGbp_ylhz5cNt2IfL7g5blxvjQrlv-TwlV

kV15fuE84. 

 

This article clipping, which is a primary source, explains the Double V Campaign. It also                             

shows quotes from letters sent in by people who support the movement. I found it helpful in                                 

understanding both the campaign and the attitude of the people towards it. 

 

 

Bolden, Frank E. “The ‘Double V’ is a Plea for National Unity— Those Who Do Not Want Colored 

People to Participate in War Should Be Classed As Traitors.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Mar. 

1942, p. 12. Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33243623&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MDcyLCJpYXQiOjE1N

zY0MzE5MzksImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxODMzOX0.dZzCZsTnEQlY1t0cob0BLK-NXQid-m

PslDlJ4E8qrPk. 

 

Bolden writes about the Double V Campaign and how it relates to soldiers actually fighting in 

the war. I also found his article interesting because he makes some interesting statements about 

fighting racism “intelligently,” which reminded me of Martin Luther King Jr’s stance on 

peaceful protest. 

 

 

“Double V Campaign Sweeps Nation… Becoming Vogue in Styles!” Newspapers.com, The Pittsburgh                       

Courier, 7 Mar. 1942, p. 12. 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33243623&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MDcyLCJpYXQiOjE1N

zk5Nzk3MjUsImV4cCI6MTU4MDA2NjEyNX0.kgvHM_tXeg_7qekCGsSYRRgIQyLeJq3

Ze93IWqw72Mo. 

 

This image displayed both how popular the Double V symbol, and message, was becoming. It                             

shows both Black and White supporters, but I thought it was interesting how more women                             

were portrayed than men. 

 

 

“‘Double V’ Wins in Courier Poll.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 24 Oct. 1942, p. 1. Newspapers.com,                             

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33244172&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwODE3MDExLCJpYXQiOjE1N

zY0MjgwMTksImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxNDQxOX0.uwWWqNC3a_tNJYSKrxFlmJ29M1xtr

2PmnaceoajlTFg. 

 

This brief clipping shows the results of a poll asking whether African Americans should keep                             

“soft-pedaling” their demands for equality. The overwhelming majority replied “no,” showing                     

that the demand for change was growing. From this article, I drew the conclusion that the                               

Double V Campaign was having an effect, encouraging the movement to end discrimination. 

 

 

“Nation Lauds Courier’s “Double V” Campaign: Race Unites for Drive to Secure Real Democracy.” 

The Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Mar. 1942, p. 12. Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33243623&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MDcyLCJpYXQiOjE1N

zY0MzE5MzksImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxODMzOX0.dZzCZsTnEQlY1t0cob0BLK-NXQid-m

PslDlJ4E8qrPk. 

 

This article talks about the growing popularity and influence of the Double V Campaign. It                             

was helpful for me to track the expansion of the movement, and to read the letters sent in by                                     

people expressing their opinions on the campaign. 

 

 

“Nation’s Leaders Give Support to ‘Double V’ Drive.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 4 April 1942, p. 1.                               

Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33244075&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MTU3LCJpYXQiOjE1

ODA1ODQzNjksImV4cCI6MTU4MDY3MDc2OX0.OmeEoO--tPE4ShXPDhhdwIAgXV

g7avnCe8qltCYgJw4 

 

I used this short article to extract a notice about political figures supporting the Double V                               

Campaign. Even though I was only interested in a few lines from this source, it was important                                 

to see how what had started as a single person’s idea grew to the point where people were                                   

talking about it in Washington DC. 

 

 

“Readers Want Double “V” Made into Pins, Emblems.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 21 Feb. 1942, p. 2.                               

Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33241356&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MDE0LCJpYXQiOjE1

Nzk5NzUxODUsImV4cCI6MTU4MDA2MTU4NX0.R4c-4DeNdnkPmci9CcQzypicKO8

BSv5-lARjCDh9xZk 

 

This article is a compilation of letters to the Courier expressing enthusiasm for the Campaign                             

and suggesting that it’s emblem be spread about on pins, signs, and stickers. It showed me how                                 

quickly people were inspired by the Courier’s movement. I also took the image of the emblem                               

from this article, because it was shown more clearly than in the February 14 article. 

 

 

“Requests for ‘Double V’ Emblems Flood Office: Courier Staff Busy Preparing to Meet Demands of 

Readers.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 28 Mar. 1942, p. 12. Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33244332&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY3MTQ0LCJpYXQiOjE1

NzY0MzIyMzAsImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxODYzMH0.P8bfpBgJrC5BOnzJOscV8W7W6z4b8

ugsNLxeZoxR5uU. 

 

This article is about the requests for merchandise about the Double V Campaign. The                           

demands indicate how committed people are to the movement, and how they wish to display                             

that faith and raise awareness for the campaign. It showed me how far the movement had                               

come in such a short time, and demonstrated the rising popularity and enthusiasm for it. 

 

 

Rouzeau, Edgar T. “Black America Wars on Double Front for High Stakes— Rouzeau.” The 

Pittsburgh Courier, 7 Feb. 1942, p. 7. Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33240390&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY2OTY5LCJpYXQiOjE1N

zY0MzA1NTUsImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxNjk1NX0.R3RtZDwRi1NwYZUu3YHzfL4ZpSX

MukJ9w8JbZ4azFyU. 

 

This article was helpful because I got to see the Double V campaign introduced as it was in                                   

1942. It laid out the reasoning for the movement, and how it was pitched to the public. I                                   

found it useful to read about the campaign in primary sources, so I could see a first hand                                   

account of what was happening at the time. 

 

“The Courier’s Double V for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-Wide Support.” The 

Pittsburgh Courier, 14 Feb. 1942, p. 1. Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33240614&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDY2OTg5LCJpYXQiOjE1N

zY0MzA5ODksImV4cCI6MTU3NjUxNzM4OX0.OaKe7oaixl_sfyTWNJhAEWNjzoRwhL

Y7CxFR3WSg88Y. 

 

This is another article detailing the spread of the Double V Campaign. I found it helpful to                                 

read about how the movement grew and progressed, and getting to see the articles in this                               

newspaper over time helped me get a good idea of how that happened. 

 

 

Wysinger, Lena M.“Keen Interest Shown Here in Double V Victory Program.” The Oakland Tribune; 

Oakland, California; 26 Apr. 1942, p. 24. Newspapers.com, 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=33245348&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1

NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjE0ODEzNjQ3MywiaWF0IjoxNTg

wNTg2MDgyLCJleHAiOjE1ODA2NzI0ODJ9.2bEAvDz2dg5Pznkc4KgaQUcDW-L1kR2

TjX19zz_Ap44. 

 

This article is very brief, but it provides a concise explanation of the Double V Campaign. I                                 

also found it helpful because most of the articles I had were from The Pittsburgh Courier, so it                                   

was interesting to get some information from a different periodical. 

 

Photographs 

 

Burger, Barbara Lewis. “Pictures of African Americans During World War II.” National Archives,                         

https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/ww2-pictures. 

 

This source provided an abundance of photographs of African Americans and their role in                           

World War II. I used them to visualize the history I was reading about, and to gain a better                                     

understanding of how real these people and events are. In the photographs, you can see the                               

African American soldiers, as they are: real people, not just statistics or words on a page. 

 

Poems 

 

Hughes, Langston. “Beaumont to Detroit: 1943.” The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, 1943, p.                           

281. 

https://www.mesaartscenter.com/download.php/engagement/jazz-a-to-z/resources/archive/2

016-2017/teacher-resources/hughes-beaumont-to-detroit 

 

Langston Hughes was and is a hugely influential poet, known for his work detailing the                             

African American experience. This poem addresses the conflicted and resentful feelings of                       

African Americans during WWII, and pretty much sums up the motivation for the Double V                             

Campaign. I found it helpful because it speaks to so much of the climate of the time. 

 

Letters 

 

Thompson, James G. “Letter to the Pittsburgh Courier.” Pcsb.org, Jan. 1942, 

https://www.pcsb.org/cms/lib8/FL01903687/Centricity/Domain/7034/james-thompson-let

ter.pd. 

 

Thompson’s letter to the newspaper describes how he is conflicted over his patriotism, and his                             

reluctance to fight for a country which discriminates against him. He sums up the feelings of                               

many African Americans of the time. This letter inspired the Double V Campaign, so it was an                                 

important source for me to have. 

 

Secondary Sources 

 

Delmont, Matthew. “Why African Americans Saw World War II as a Two-Front Battle.” 

Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 24 Aug. 2017, 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-african-american-soldiers-saw-world-war-ii-t

wo-front-battle-180964616/. 

 

This website offered some quotations from other sources, which were especially helpful when                         

the information quoted was from sources not available to me. It also gave me some more                               

background on the treatment of African Americans during the war, and the rising unrest. This                             

source provided me not only with information, but with ideas for other aspects of the topic to                                 

look into. 

 

 

Guglielmo, Thomas A. “Desegregating Blood: A Civil Rights Struggle to Remember.” Beth Daley 

(Eds.), The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2018. 

https://theconversation.com/desegregating-blood-a-civil-rights-struggle-to-remember-37480?

xid=PS_smithsonian. 

 

This article is about the segregation of blood by race: white people only got blood donated by                                 

whites, and the same for African Americans. That even in this act of patriotism and generosity,                               

African Americans should be considered “different,” if not “lesser,” is a dramatic example of                           

how ridiculous and horrifying segregation in America had become. This article illustrates the                         

need for campaigns like Double V to show how African Americans were an invaluable part of                               

the war effort. 

 

 

Höhn, Maria. “African-American GIs of WWII: Fighting for Democracy Abroad and at Home.” 

Military Times, 30 Jan. 2018, 

https://www.militarytimes.com/military-honor/black-military-history/2018/01/30/african-a

merican-gis-of-wwii-fighting-for-democracy-abroad-and-at-home/. 

 

This article was about the often-ignored role of African American soldiers in WWII. They                           

were discriminated against and forgotten. After fighting in a war, they returned home to face                             

racism like that that they had been fighting against in Germany. For me, this article emphasized                               

the tragedy of the treatment of African American soldiers, and how needed the Double V                             

Campaign was. 

 

 

“The Double V Victory: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII 

Museum | New Orleans, The National World War II Museum, 11 July 2018, 

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/double-v-victory  

 

This article provides some background on the situation for African Americans during WWII, 

and how they were treated. It also gives some explanation for the anger felt by many African 

Americans, and why many were so opposed to being involved in a war that they found 

“insulting” to them. This source gave me a good basic overview of the topic, and provided me 

with some information that I could then research more thoroughly. 

 

“History of Lynchings.” NAACP. https://www.naacp.org/history-of-lynchings/. Accessed Mar. 9               

2020. 

After reading sources where people (such as J. R. Johnson and Langston Hughes) compared                           

Hitler and his methods to not only racist Americans and the Ku Klux Klan specifically, I used                                 

this source to get some raw data about how violent the treatment of African Americans could                               

get. It was helpful to have a point of comparison to understand why African Americans found                               

their treatment in the US similar to Nazi actions in Germany. 

 

Vann, Robert Lee. “The Pittsburgh Courier” Pbs.org. 

https://www.pbs.org/blackpress/news_bios/courier.html. Accessed Dec. 15 2019. 

 

The Pittsburgh Courier was an important Black newspaper that spoke out against segregation                         

and launched the Double V Campaign. Since I’m using articles from it, I used this source to                                 

get some background information about the paper itself. 

 

 

Washburn, Pat. “The Pittsburgh Courier's Double V Campaign in 1942.” School of Journalism,                         

Indiana University, Bloomington Ind., August 1989.           

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED205956.pdf. 

 

This source is an overview of the Double V Campaign. Not only did it help to see a historian’s                                     

analysis, this paper helped me find sources and angles I might otherwise have overlooked, and                             

provided some more context for the movement.