Civil War, Civil Rights, and Civic Duty: The African American Experience of War

FAIN: AV-279607-21

Longwood University (Farmville, VA 23909-1800)
Eric B. Hodges (Project Director: October 2020 to present)

The training of 10 veterans to co-facilitate two series of humanities-based discussions of African American combat veterans’ experiences in the Civil War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Civil War, Civil Rights, and Civic Duty: The African American Experience of War, a project of Longwood University, will focus on the neglected narrative of the African American experience of war. The project will focus on the involvements of black combat veterans in three historically distinct conflicts: the American Civil War, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Themes for the project include civil rights and patriotism, the role of race in war, homecoming, and the experiences of black women in war. Those topics will be explored through multiple humanities sources including historical documents, literary selections, public history, and film. In 2022, ten discussion leaders will participate in an intensive residential preparatory program that is grounded in the humanities and receive training in discussion facilitation. A series of discussions with African American combat veterans (male and female) will be conducted at the historic Moton Museum.

Associated Products

How did the United States’ social and political climate regarding race affect Black veteran’s homecoming experiences? (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: How did the United States’ social and political climate regarding race affect Black veteran’s homecoming experiences?
Author: Sydney Thompson
Abstract: Currently, in the United States, citizens are expected to recognize and appreciate the accomplishments of military service members. While all soldiers and veterans have unique experiences, external factors such as the United States’ social and political climate affect minority populations in the military differently. Black Americans have served in the U.S. military since the country’s earliest wars and have simultaneously been subject to discrimination through slavery, Jim Crow legislation, and the struggle for civil rights. In this poster presentation, I will explore the intersectionality of being African-American military veteran. The presentation will investigate how the struggle for civil rights affected levels of patriotism, racism in the U.S. military, and the homecoming experiences of Black veterans. I will review academic articles, historical documents, and literary selections to explore the experiences of African-American veterans in three distinct conflicts: The Civil War, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror. My findings indicate that the continued struggle for equality and freedom at home and unrecognized promises from the U.S. government have persistently plagued Black veterans. Future research on this topic should focus on the homecoming experiences for Black soldiers returning from the recently ended war in Afghanistan and the impact social programs have on assisting Black veterans as they transition back to civilian life.
Date: 4/7/2022
Primary URL: http://https://www.roanoke.edu/a-z/center_for_studying_structures_of_race/virginia_conference_on_race
Conference Name: Virginia Conference on Race

Blackwell Presentation (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: Blackwell Presentation
Author: Eric Hodges
Abstract: I recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), as part of a program called Dialogues on the Experience of War. The program supports the study and discussion of important humanities sources about war, in the belief that these sources can help U.S. military veterans and others think more deeply about the issues raised by war and military service. My project focuses on the neglected narrative of the African American experience of war. We will focus on the involvements of black combat veterans in three historically distinct conflicts: the American Civil War, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Themes for the project include civil rights and patriotism, the role of race in war, homecoming, and the experiences of black women in war. Those topics will be explored through multiple humanities sources including historical documents, literary selections, public history, and film. In Summer 2022, eight discussion leaders will participate in an intensive residential preparatory program that is grounded in the humanities and receive training in discussion facilitation. In Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, a series of focus groups will be conducted with local African American combat veterans at the historic Moton Museum.
Date Range: 3/28/22
Location: Longwood University

Project Illuminate: Sharing the Story (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Project Illuminate: Sharing the Story
Author: Eric Hodges
Abstract: A thematic collection of humanities sources that explore the African-American experience of war. The collection is broken into three sections: patriotism, racism, and homecoming.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DTLkh0vLF2LBz1g4EvyIyBS1upyV2R1o/view?usp=sharing
Primary URL Description: Google Drive folder
Audience: Graduate

Pre-discussion survey (Report)
Title: Pre-discussion survey
Author: Ayesha Chetty and Eric Hodges
Abstract: A pre-discussion survey for workshop participants.
Date: 5/24/22
Primary URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYkfp0s7VCvg2GdQsnERWphRG4rZJ8hlR41BoD2bqOecD_Dw/viewform

Post-discussion survey (Report)
Title: Post-discussion survey
Author: Ayesha Chetty and Eric Hodges
Abstract: Post-discussion survey for participants.
Date: 5/24/22
Primary URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchPdOCraacgjZykAVEj3bSKw7QShmBDllOrowFvYSs7AZ-bA/viewform

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