The Civil Rights Struggle, African American GIs and Germany

To preserve and share information regarding African-American GIs and the transnational implications of the African-American civil rights struggle, we have created a Digital Archive where the public can access this information. The Digital Archive is comprised of documents, oral histories, movies, and images.

To create this digital archive, interviews of war veterans and activists have been conducted. This archive of oral histories will illustrate how the soldiers were impacted by their military service abroad, and how the creation of the world wide U.S. military base system resulted in the expansion of the civil rights movement beyond the physical boundaries of the United States. For a list of interviews and their transcripts, please click HERE. 

Another main component of the Digital Archive is photographs. These images show the untold story of African-American GIs and Germany. To view these images, click HERE. Also, to view images pertaining to African-American GIs and Germany firsthand, check out our “The Civil Rights Struggle, African-American GIs, and Germany” Exhibition, which may be in a town near you soon.