Episode 289 - Black History Month - The Harlem Hellfighters of World War I

Jump on the Elevator of History with us and ride it back to America's involvement in World War I.  When the US brought over a segregated unit of Black Men that were mostly a labor batallion, then they were loaned to the French Infantry who gave them French helmets, equipment, weapons and rations and put them on the front lines.  For 191 days, the longest of any unit in the war they stayed on the front lines, never giving up ground, always pushing forward and cementing their legacy and their strengths forcing the US Army to reconsider it's segregation and the idea that Black soldiers weren't capable or competent fighters.  And while it would take another thirty years to desegregate the US Military, it might not have happened at all without the persistence, dedication and heroism of the Harlem Hellfighters!  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.