This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/18/2024
[AFRICAN AMERICAN]. WWII segregated regiment photograph, South Fort Lewis, Washington, 1944. 318 x 222 mm. Each soldier captioned in manuscript with their name and hometown, studio stamp on verso, some creases. The United States society and its military continued to be segregated during WWII, which saw separate camps for Blacks and restrictions on enlistments. One of these camps was South Fort Lewis, a new cantonment of the main Fort Lewis, which was constructed in 1941 as a separate camp for Black soldiers. To aid morale and cohesiveness, an extensive sports program was instituted. Several notable names who played organized sports at the Fort and would later become star athletes, included Jonas Gaines (1915-1998) who later played baseball for the National Colored League’s Baltimore Elite Giants, and Lucius Dennis (1924-2004), a former Harlem Globetrotter. This limited sports integration in the military preceded and set an example for integration in the civilian sports world. On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued executive Order 9981, which ended racial segregation in the military.