“[They] die to restore freedom to the oppressed people of the world for who [knows oppression] better than I.” Marshall hits on a point that summarizes the message that is slowly arising out of the publication as the voice of the NAACP as to their attitude about the war, that despite the oppression against the Black community, “I with 50 percent citizenship, will fight with 100 percent support.” It is hard to imagine a greater display of patriotism than this, that despite all of the troubles faced at home the African-American community will continue to fight for their country as it is the only home they know. And yes, criticizing the government by pointing out the similarities between Senator Bilbo and Adolf Hitler are openly negative remarks about the government and one could argue that this is almost unpatriotic. However, how can one argue that under the same conditions faced by Blacks during World War Two, they would be so willing to fight and support the …show more content…
The so-called Jim Crow conditions in the armed forces effected the life of the Black soldier every day, his rights, his assignment, his treatment, and the respect given to him at home and abroad. One example of this hypocrisy is the banning of plasma donations by colored donors. The Red Cross served to donate blood to combat hospitals and outposts overseas and one Black doctor, award winning Dr. Charles R. Drew of Howard University was a pioneer in the creation of a blood bank model used by the Red Cross and he had several words about the ban on colored blood donation. Dr. Drew headed the plasma donation program in Great Britain but resigned after three months due to his personal feelings on the segregated donation process. Saying, “I feel the recent ruling of the United States Army and Navy regarding the refusal of colored donors is an indefensible one.” This comment is in direct disagreement with the decisions of the Armed Forces, and one might believe it is easy for an activist magazine to condemn laws and decisions that directly discriminate against the very community they are trying to advance. This may be true, but according to that same logic would that not make it also difficult for that group to support a war forced on your community by the very people you are oppressing. The support that The Crisis has for the war effort is not an easy