World War II Army Infantry Uniform

The civil rights advocate and educator Alonzo Shockley, Jr. (1920–2014), donated this army uniform to the Schomburg Center. He served in the 92nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army during World War II, first in North Africa and later in Italy. Like many African American men in the military, Shockley served in a segregated unit where he endured unequal treatment and limited opportunities for promotion. Black servicemen, therefore, fought battles on two fronts: the war against fascism abroad and against racism at home. They used their commitment to American democracy to underscore the irony of this injustice and to advance the modern civil rights movement.