CPR Seminar Series: Desmond Ang

Desmond Ang (Harvard Kennedy School of Government) will present “Vanguard: Black Veterans and Civil Rights after World War I” as part of the CPR Seminar Series.

Abstract: In 1919, hundreds of thousands of Black soldiers returned
home to face widespread racial violence and discrimination. Leveraging the
World War I draft lottery and millions of newly-digitized records, we document
the pioneering role that these individuals played in advancing civil rights
over the following decades. While military service provided little causal
economic benefit, Black men who were randomly inducted into the U.S. Army were
significantly more likely to take part in the ascendant NAACP. Heterogeneity
analysis suggests that effects were largest for men from higher-skilled
occupations and those who served in combat roles. Detailed analysis of the
first African-American officer candidate class similarly reveals that
commissioned officers were more likely to become civil rights leaders and other
prominent members of civil society.