Examples Of Some Cultural Uses Of The Referent "Colored" In The United States (from 1960s to the 2020s)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the referent "Colored" in the United States. 

This post lists and presents information about some African American cultural examples that include the racial referent "Colored" in the United States in the 1960s to date (2026). 

This post lists and presents information about some cultural uses of the racial referent "Colored" in the United States from the mid 20th century to 2026.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-history-and-uses-of-referent.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents a complete reprint of the Wikipedia page and an AI Overview about the referent "Colored" in the United States (retrieved March 16, 2026).

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/examples-of-official-or-cultural-uses.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post lists and provides information about some official United States examples and some African American cultural examples that include the racial referent "colored" from the 19th century through the 1950s.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are showcased in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/is-coloured-race-or-culture-in-southern.html for a 2026 pancocojams post entitled Is "Coloured" A Race or A Culture In Southern Africa? (YouTube Discussion Thread Comments From A 2025 The Pensuel Show Podcast)

Links to two other pancocojams posts about the history and uses of the referent "Coloured" in the nation of South Africa and in some other southern African nations are found in that post.. 

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EXAMPLES OF SOME CULTURAL USES OF THE REFERENT "COLORED" IN THE UNITED STATES (from the 1960S TO THE 2020s)

These examples are given in chronological order. Additions and corrections are welcome.

1960s

**
1974-for colored girls who have considered suicide /when the rainbow is enuf"
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Colored_Girls_Who_Have_Considered_Suicide_/_When_the_Rainbow_Is_Enuf

"for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf is a 1976 work by Ntozake Shange. It consists of a series of poetic monologues to be accompanied by dance movements and music, a form which Shange coined the word choreopoem to describe.[5] It tells the stories of seven women who have suffered oppression in a racist and sexist society.[6]

As a choreopoem, the piece is a series of 20 separate poems choreographed to music that weaves interconnected stories of love, empowerment, struggle and loss into a complex representation of sisterhood. The cast consists of seven nameless African-American women only identified by the colors they are assigned. They are the lady in red, lady in orange, lady in yellow, lady in green, lady in blue, lady in brown, and lady in purple. Subjects including rape, abandonment, abortion and domestic violence are tackled.[6] Shange originally wrote the monologues as separate poems in 1974. Her writing style is idiosyncratic and she often uses vernacular language, unique structure, and unorthodox punctuation to emphasize syncopation. Shange wanted to write for colored girls... in a way that mimicked how real women speak so she could draw her readers' focus to the experience of reading and listening.[7]

[...]

Title

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is inspired by events in Shange's life. Shange admitted publicly to having attempted suicide on four occasions, at different times in her life, as early as her undergraduate years. In a phone interview conducted with CNN, she explained how she came to the title of her choreopoem: "I was driving the No. 1 Highway in northern California and I was overcome by the appearance of two parallel rainbows. I had a feeling of near death or near catastrophe. Then I drove through the rainbow and I went away. Then I put that together to form the title."[10] The colors of the rainbow then became the essence of the women in the choreopoem, named only their color pseudonyms.

Shange also explains that she chose to use the word "colored" in the title of her choreopoem so that her grandmother would be able to understand it.[7]"...

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1970s-1990s- Racialized examples of  "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" ("Down Down Baby" Children's recreation rhymes

Here are two examples of those hand clap rhymes and my editor's notes:
1. Down, down baby
Down, down the roller coaster
Sweet, sweet baby
I'll never let you go
Chimey chimey cocoa pop
Chimey, chimey pow
Chimey, chimey cocoa pop
Chimey, chimey pop
I like coffee, I like tea
I like a colored boy and he likes me
So lets here the rhythm of the hands, (clap, clap) 2x
Let hear the rhythm of the feet (stomp, stomp) 2x
Let's hear the rhythm of the head (ding dong) 2x
Let's hear the rhythm of the hot dog
Let's hear the rhythm of the hot dog
Put em all together and what do you get
(Clap clap, stomp stomp), ding dong, hot Dog!
-Yasmin Hernadez; 2004; memories of New York City (Latinx/ African American neighborhood in the 1980s; cocojams.com [cocojams was the name of my cultural website that was active from 2001 to 2014).

**
2.  "I learned Version of Down Down Baby in virginia in the 90's

Down down baby, down by the rollercoaster
Sweet sweet baby, mama never let you go
Shimmy shimmy coca pop, shimmy shimmy pow!

I like coffee, I like tea,
I like a color boy and he likes me
So step back white boy, you don't shine
I'll get the color boy to beat yo' behind

Let get the rhythm of the hands (clap, clap)
We've got the rhythm of the hands (clap, clap)

Let's get the rhythm of the feet (stomp,stomp)
We've got the rhythm of the feet (stomp, stomp

Lets get the rhythm of the head DING-DONG

(move head side to side)

We've got the rhythm of the head DING-DONG (move head side to side)

Let's get the rhythm of the HOT-DOG

(move body around)

We've got the of the HOT-DOG

(move body around)

Put all together and and what do you get....
clap, clap, stomp, stomp, ding-dong, hot-dog

Say them all backwards and what do you get....

hot-dog, ding-dong, stomp, stomp, clap, clap!
-GUEST,Down Down baby, 30May 07,  https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097 , Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?
-snip-
"Color" is a folk processed form of the racial referent "Colored"

Notes About The Racialized "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" Hand Clap Rhymes
by Azizi Powell, 2007
"Racialized rhymes" is my term for children's recreational rhymes that include racial referents when earlier versions of those rhymes didn't include any racial referents.

"Colored" is a referent for Black Americans that was retired at least by the 1970s and replaced by "Black" and/or "African American".The referent "Negro" was also retired for that same population and the referent "Afro-American" was used for a short time before it was replaced with "African American".

It's interesting that the no longer used referent "Colored" lives on in some examples of these  racialized recreational rhymes from the 1980s and 1990s (and later?).

The early 1970s or mid 1970s" are the earliest dates that I've come across for these types of racialized "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" rhymes. That date come from an anonymous Guest who posted on Oct. 9. 2010 to a 2007 Mudcat discussion thread that I started entitled Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653

That commenter wrote "Thank you so much for posting this!!! I went to an all black elementary school in Norfolk, VA in the early to mid 70's and we used the variation you described (shown below).

[quoting me] "The confrontational action in these verses follows a consistent pattern. First, these rhymes are almost always given from a female perspective {which makes sense since the person or persons reciting these rhymes are usually girls}. Secondly, in the rhyme, a Black {or "Colored"} girl rejects the advances of a White boy. Thirdly, the girl tells the White boy that she "likes a Black boy and he likes me". And fourthly {if there is such a word}, the girl threatens to get a Black {or "Colored"} boy to "beat his {the White boy's} behind"...
-snip-
That Guest also quotes me as saying that I hadn't come across any examples of this rhyme in which White people begin the confrontation (i.e "I like a White boy and he likes me, so step back Black boy etc.). However, since I wrote that comment in 2010 I have come across some examples like that (as given in #2 and #5 immediately below and as featured in this pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html

That said, the "I like a black boy and he likes me" examples that I've come across appear to be much more widely chanted than any other "I like a [racial referent] boy and he likes me" version of these rhymes.

....Perhaps the changes in these rhymes [ i.e. the addition of racial referents] came about when schools were just being integrated. As such, the aggression and reference to race in these rhymes reflect the difficulties associated with those particular times. Perhaps times have changed and the interracial relations between students of different races have improved. Maybe the words to these rhymes have become so familiar and so ingrained that no changes have been made, or any changes that were suggested did not 'stick'."...

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1987-1990 - "Art, Untitled: A Close Look at "Untitled (Colored People Grid)" by Carrie Mae Weems 

Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum,   Mar 18, 2021

...In this video Student Educator Lingran Zhang explores how the title of "Untitled (Colored People Grid)" by Carrie Mae Weems relates to the meaning of the artwork.

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1995- "Colored People: A Memoir"  – by Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Author), published April 11, 1995
https://www.amazon.com/Colored-People-Henry-Louis-Gates/dp/067973919X

"In a coming-of-age story as enchantingly vivid and ribald as anything Mark Twain or Zora Neale Hurston, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., recounts his childhood in the mill town of Piedmont, West Virginia, in the 1950s and 1960s and ushers readers into a gossip, of lye-and-mashed-potato “processes,” and of slyly stubborn resistance to the indignities of segregation.

A winner of the Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Award and the Lillian Smith Prize, Colored People is a pungent and poignant masterpiece of recollection, a work that extends and deepens our sense of African American history even as it entrances us with its bravura storytelling"

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2022 - for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf | 2022 Tony Award Nominee

The Tony Awards, May 28, 2022

Black girl magic is reborn on Broadway in this fearlessly new, fiercely now reinvention of Ntozake Shange's iconic work. In this celebration of the power of Black womanhood, seven women share their stories and find strength in each other's humor and passion through a fusion of poetry, dance, music, and song that explodes off the stage and resonates with all.

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This concludes Part III of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Information About The Song "Lift Every Voice And Sing" That Is Called "The Black National Anthem" & Why It Is Performed During Super Bowl Halftime

Entertainment Tonight, Feb 8, 2026

Coco Jones belts a powerful rendition of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' at Super Bowl LX (airing on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock), rocking an outfit that pays tribute to Whitney Houston. The look, designed by Coco and Karl Kani, is a nod to the tracksuit Whitney wore when she sang the National Anthem in 1991.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a performance of the song "Lift Every Voice And Sing" during Super Bowl half time. "Lift Every Voice And Sing" Is Called "The Black National Anthem".

This post presents the lyrics to "Lift Every Voice And Sing" along with some information about why it has become a tradition to perform that song during the Super Bowl halftime.

In addition, this pancocojams post lists the performers of "Lift Ever Voice And Sing" during Super Bowl halftimes and the year that they performed that song. 

The Addendum to this post showcases a YouTube video of Whitney Houston singing "The Star Spangled Banner" during Super Bowl half time in 1991. Coco Jones, who sang "Lift Every Voice And Sing" at the Super Bowl half time in 2026 designed her dress in tribute to Whitney Houston.  

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to James Weldon Johnson, the composer of "Lift Every Voice And Sing" in 1900 for his musical and cultural legacy. Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-

Click https://civilrightssongs.blogspot.com/2014/11/lift-every-voice-and-sing-lyrics.html for information, lyrics, and videos of "Lift Every Voice And Sing". "Civil Rights Songs" is another blog that I curate.

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LYRICS -LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING

(James Weldon Johnson)

Lift every voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.
-snip-
From http://www.shmoop.com/lift-every-voice-and-sing/meaning.html
...“Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written by a school principal and first performed by 500 children in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1900.Though unveiled as part of a community celebration in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the song quickly spread outside the community of Jacksonville. Within a decade, black school children across America were singing the song, and in 1919, the recently formed National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) adopted “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as its official song. Today, the song is frequently described as the “African American National Anthem.”

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WHY "LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING" IS PERFORMED DURING THE SUPER BOWL HALF TIME 
From https://www.nbcdfw.com/super-bowl/coco-jones-black-national-anthem-super-bowl/3980493/

Grammy winner Coco Jones sang the tune ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday.

By NBC Staff • Published February 8, 2026 • Updated on February 8, 2026
" "Lift ev'ry voice and sing," a song often called the Black national anthem, was sung before the Super Bowl for the sixth year in a row Sunday.

This year, Grammy winner and former Disney child star Coco Jones had the honor of singing the song before America's big game.

The inclusion of the Black national anthem, along with "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America The Beautiful," has been met with both praise and criticism.

But the tradition continues nonetheless.

[...]

Why is the Black national anthem sung before the Super Bowl?

The NFL began having a singer perform "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" before the Super Bowl in 2020, in the wake of racial and social justice protests in the United States following the death of George Floyd.

At the time, the NFL committed to singing the Black national anthem before the "Star Spangled Banner" ahead of every NFL game during Week 1 of that season.

What is the Black national anthem and why is it important?

"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" was originally written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson, but his brother J. Rosamond, turned it into music. The song was performed for the first time in 1900, not long after it was written.

The NAACP dubbed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as the Black national anthem in 1919, more than a decade before "The Star Spangled Banner" was named the national anthem.

The song quickly became a popular song during the civil rights movement, and was even sung by crowds following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.”…

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AI OVERVIEW - HOW OFTEN HAS "LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING" BEEN PERFORMED DURING SUPER BOWL HALFTIME?

AI Overview

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" has been performed at the Super Bowl for six consecutive years, starting in 2021 and continuing through 2026. The song, often referred to as the Black national anthem, has become a regular pre-game performance to promote social justice and diversity.

Performers by Year:

2026 (Super Bowl LX): Coco Jones

2025 (Super Bowl LIX): Ledisi

2024 (Super Bowl LVIII): Andra Day

2023 (Super LVII): Sheryl Lee Ralph

2022 (Super Bowl LVI): Mary Mary

2021 (Super Bowl LV): Alicia Keys (pre-recorded)

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ADDENDUM - Whitney Houston - Star Spangled Banner (National Anthem) - Super Bowl 1991 - 4K REMASTERED

WhitneyandMariahRemasters, Premiered Jan 7, 2024

[...]

I edited the video and took me more than 4 weeks for that. Also, I edited the color, put more bright, and I upscale the video to a 4k60fps quality. I also, edited the audio to make something a little new that is different from youtube. I don't want money, all the rights belong to Sony Music. I also gonna credit the owners by putting the link to buy the official CD: **** Thanks for visiting pancocojams. Visitor comments are welcome.

"Walk Together, Children. Don't You Get Weary" (African American Spiritual) videos, information, and lyrics)

Fisk Jubilee Singers, Premiered Oct 15, 2020  FISK UNIVERSITY

The Fisk Jubilee Singers® live presentation of "Walk Together Children" from Fisk Jubilee Day 2020

"Walk Together, Children" Arranged by Moses Hogan

Performed by the 2020-2021 Fisk Jubilee Singers® Ensemble

Paul T. Kwami, D.M.A., '85, Musical Director
-snip-
In the context of African American history, "Jubilee Day" refers to January 1, 1863 after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. 

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams  post showcases three YouTube videos of the African American Spiritual "Walk Together Children". Information about that Spiritual and the lyrics to a contemporary arrangement of this Spiritual are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, religious, historical, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composer/s of "Walk Together Children". Thanks also to all the arrangers of that Spiritual. Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post & thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-

Portions of this post were originally published in this October 10, 2013 pancocojams post:  https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/10/walk-together-children-lyrics-examples.html "Walk Together Children" Spiritual Sung By Choir Wearing Kente Cloth Stoles (video, lyrics, information).

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "WALK TOGETHER CHILDREN" SPIRITUAL 

from http://www.theafricanamericanlectionary.org/PopupCulturalAid.asp?LRID=246

WATCH NIGHT CULTURAL RESOURCES
Saturday, December 31, 2011, Tara Lake, Guest Lectionary Cultural Resource Commentator

Independent Scholar of African American Studies, East Point, GA

..." “Walk Together Children”

One of the most versatile of the African American Spirituals, “Walk Together Children” urges unity of purpose and reminds singers and listeners of the promise of a better day to come. As is the case with a number of spirituals, “Walk Together Children” offers layered meaning and emphasizes the coming reward. During slavery, the song was a joyful reminder of freedom and celebration to come, not only in Heaven, but also in earthly promised lands, including free states and territories. During the first “Freedom’s Eve,” with Abolition just hours away, and even in today’s African American congregations, “Walk Together Children” is a celebration of the victories already won and a promise of triumphs to come. “Camp Meetings” were church meetings, and indeed, the first Freedom’s Eve Watch Night services were a coming to pass of the promise of the Great Camp Meeting in the Promised Land—in this case, the newly freed states. This spiritual’s significance has continually evolved as congregations and freedom activists have altered the words and chorus to suit the moment and the movement, but it has particular meaning for the Watch Night Service.10

Walk Together Children [title]

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

 

Gwinter walk and never tire.

Walk and never tire.

Walk and never tire.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

 

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

 

Gonna* sing and never tire.

Sing and never tire.

Sing and never tire.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

 

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

 

Gonna* shout and never tire.

Shout and never tire.

Shout and never tire.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

 

Walk together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Sing together, children,

don’t you get weary.

Shout together, children,

don’t you get weary.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land."
-snip-
*I replaced the out dated dialectic word "Gwinter" that is given in these lyrics with the much more acceptable vernacular words "Gonna" meaning "going to"
-snip-
Here's information about "Watch Night" church services:
from https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-watch-night The Historical Legacy of Watch Night [no author or publishing date given, retrieved on October 22, 2025)
..."On the night of December 31, 1862, enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. Just a few months earlier, on September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the executive order that declared enslaved people in the rebelling Confederate States legally free. However, the decree would not take effect until the clock struck midnight at the start of the new year. The occasion, known as Watch Night or “Freedom's Eve,” marks when African Americans across the country watched and waited for the news of freedom. Today, Watch Night is an annual New Year’s Eve tradition that includes the memory of slavery and freedom, reflections on faith, and celebration of community and strength.

[...]

The Watch Night service typically begins around 7pm on December 31 and lasts through midnight, as faith leaders guide congregants in praise and worship. Many congregants across the nation bow in prayer minutes before the midnight hour as they sing out “Watchman, watchman please tell me the hour of the night.” In return the minister replies “it is three minutes to midnight”; “it is one minute before the new year”; and “it is now midnight, freedom has come,” to bless their transition into the new year.

[...]

Initially meant to welcome emancipation, today the Watch Night service encourages reflection on the history of slavery and freedom, as well as reflection on the past year—both its trials and triumphs—while also anticipating what the new year will have in store. It is a continuation of generations of faith that freedom and renewal lie ahead."...

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A COMMONLY USED ARRANGEMENT OF "WALK TOGETHER CHILDREN" FPR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

A commonly used arrangement of "Walk Together Children", particularly for children & youth, is performing it as a "zipper song" in which most of the verse remains the same except for substituting a verb in each verse of that song. 

Walk together children.
Don't you get weary.
Walk together children.
Don't you get weary.

Walk together children.
Don't you get weary.
Walk together children.
Don't you get weary.
There's a great camp meeting in the Promised Land.

Talk together children etc.

Sing together children etc.

Shout together children etc.

Pray together children etc.

Work together children etc.

[Add other action words & end with "Walk together" verse.]

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Walk Together Children

MetroSingers, Uploaded on Jun 15, 2009

MetroSingers, Hyattsville, MD
http://www.metrosingers.com

Song arranged by Dr. Raymond Wise) recorded and produced by Hope Channel

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

The February 28, 2025 Blackout (Consumer Economic Boycott) Of Target Department Stores & Some Other Big Businesses

Indisputable with Dr.Rashad Richey, February 28, 2025- clip of the day

People on social media are promoting a 24-hour boycott against large corporations. Dr. Rashad Richey and Wosny Lambre discuss on Indisputable. Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Read more here: https://apnews.com/article/feb-28-eco...

"NEW YORK (AP) — An “economic blackout” promoted on social media was underway Friday but with no clear indication of how many people took part or whether retail companies and restaurants noticed any effect from the grassroots protest.

A fledgling activist group encouraged U.S. residents not to spend any money for 24 hours as an act of resistance against what the group’s founder described as the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations and both major political parties on the lives of working Americans."...

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision - March 11, 2025

This pancocojams post presents a compilation of a few selected comments that were published between Feb. 28, 2025 and March 1, 2025 on the discussion thread of a YouTube video hosted by Dr. Rashad Richey entitled "WATCH: TikTokers Push 24-Hour Economic BLACKOUT Against Big Business,"

That video is part of the African American focused YouTube news channel "Indisputable". The About page of that channel indicates that "Indisputable is the nation’s fastest-growing news show ... Each day, Indisputable features the top news stories, with original reporting, and engages in debates and conversations with guests and viewers. Tune in for the Indisputable truth!"... end of quote https://www.youtube.com/@IndisputableTYT

Most of these selected comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread in this pancocojams post agree with the boycott in the United States of Target department stores and the wider "no shopping at any big business stores on Feb. 28, 2025. Other comments from that discussion thread disagree with those boycotts. 

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and linguistic* purposes.

Thanks to Dr. Rashad Richey for his cultural contributions. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
 -snip-
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/03/what-ten-toes-down-standing-on-business.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "What "Ten Toes Down" & "Standing On Business" REALLY Mean (Information & Comments)"

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREADS

As is the case with most pancocojams post that include selected comments, I'm not only interested in documenting and sharing what was said, but how it was said.  

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WARNING
In my opinion, a significant portion of the comments in that discussion thread which disagree with that boycott and which are quoted in this pancocojams compilation are racist and may have been published by trolls.

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These comments are presented in relative chronological order beginning with the earliest dated comments, except for replies (from Feb. 28, 2025 through March 1, 2025). 

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KK_yB-vV5k

February 28, 2025

1. @martythorn3456
"I am not buying anything today".

**
2. @denisecody5514
"Yes I Did it Economic Resistance Black Out Feb 28, 2025 will do it again again!!!"

**
Reply
3. @wadaboyy
"Absolutely!"

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4. @sonderseeker21
"I shopped at 3 local businesses & used only cash!"

**
5. @detroitdezhotel5640
"ALL. POWER. TO. THE PEOPLE...!!! ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿"

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6. @denisebailey3226
"Kept my black dollars in my pocket today!!!!🥳🎉🎉🥳"

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7. @thomascrownrg
"Absolutely nothing purchased... My bank account is still applauding."

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Reply
8. @sweetpeach3241
"😂😂😂😂"

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9. @Swinatelly
"24hrs was a piece of cake! Im anticipating the next boycott! We must show them the power of our $"

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10. @elainemarylee
"I joined. Why should we support these companies using our hard earned dollars when they don't care about us?"

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11. @veerow6035
"Nope! Not doing it. Only supporting positive actions that are solution-oriented. Boycotts are outdated in 2025."

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Reply
12. @GEOMETRICINK
"Not supporting the oligarchs ruining this country is a positive action 😂😂😂"

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13. @boldandunderstanding9935
"Watch how the support for black owned businesses decreases drastically after this so-called boycott is over with. People only want to support black businesses when they're angry with white corporations. Where's the support for black businesses, regardless of the situation?"

**
Reply
14. @allisonjones1585
"@boldandunderstanding9935 all you have to is do what you want. And keep your negative thoughts at bay"

**
15. @KeillenDavis
"Black businesses are in black neighborhoods. You would have to go out of your way to avoid making a purchase from a black business if you live in a black neighborhood."

**
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16. @nathanjones6638
"They get the support any other business gets.

I am going to buy the product I want. I am not going to base that decision on race, as that would be racism."

**
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17. @Officialgregoryforlove
"@nathanjones6638 That is NOT the definition of Racism! Smh...🙄😑"

**
18. @almontgomery4962
"Come on, people. I know we got this in us. The majority is nowhere near as strong as our for fathers, but let do this 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽"

**
19. @fifward6399
"Im down with this. Let's go."

**
20. @crisrockzz6892
"Didn't spend a red cent today and it was empowering!"

**
21. @courtneycherry255
"Some of those businesses will not get my business back!❤️🖤💚 Happy Standing on business weekend!"

**
22. @lydia160
"I'm in!!!👈🤔

Y'all can count

me in!!!👈🤨

I'm Down!!!!👈🤨👍

I'm also  thinking about

 cancelling my

 Amazon account,

too!!!👈🤔

That's Right!!!🤨

What are the other dates for Boycotting!!?🤔

I also remember the bus Boycott in the 60's....

 I wasn't born, yet but

 I remember it!!!👈🤨"

**
23. @almontgomery4962
"We need more than 24 hours hellooooo🤨🤨🤨"

**
Reply
24. @desmondholmes34
"Let's be real.  The reason why alot of people are doing this is because they feel comfortable with just one day. No one is really about that protest life."

**
25. @Misses-Hippy
"Boycotting from Europe. And not just one day, for good."

**
26. @elizabeth-ec9gq
"So now the Black people are doing the same like the Mexicans/hispanics, that's why the Mexican/Hispanic people have been telling you Black people to stand with them because together you can make a difference.."

**
Reply
29. @wearynottired
"This isn’t our first rodeo! We do this often, you’re just fiinding it out!"

**
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30. @sweettexastee
"How are they doing the same?"

**
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31. @peekaboo991
"😂😂😂😂 we fBA good we’ll fight alone like we always do like we always have done and always will ✊🏾💪🏾but you can go ahead and side with them that’s your prerogative and your preference 🫣 power to my black brothers and sisters✊🏾🙌🏾"
-snip-
"FBA"= "Foundational Black Americans" (a referent for Black people who can trace their ancestry to at least one person who was enslaved in the United States before the end of the Civil War)

**
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32. @Findaway2day
"No, did you not hear the Dr. talk about the bus boycott? This is not our first rodeo. Are you 5?"

**
33. @redeemedbytheblood
"Why are we supporting a program that BENEFITED CAUCASIAN women the most??? DEI is stupid!! DEAR BLACK PEOPLE, goggle who benefited from DEI the most, it’s most CERTAINLY NOT BLACK PEOPLE!!"

**
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34. @AdeptSoul
"DEI is not stupid just because it benefitted white women the most, if that's even true.

 Affirmative Action also benefited white women the most, but it helped a hell of a lot of black people!

 What do you have against white women?

 Yes, many voted for Trump but many didn't.

 Your post strikes me as something a right-winger would say."

**
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35. @happyandfree11
"It’s also bigger than DEI. These billionaires and corporations treat us ALL like slaves. America is a corporation and we are unsatisfied customers so we keep our coin for absolute necessities until the corporation acts right."

**
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36. @jayajaya788
"That's right!!! Black people spend a Trillion a year...we have the power...STOP SAYING THAT YOU DON'T!!! WE HAVE MORE POWER THAN ANY OTHER RACE OF PEOPLE!!! TAKE THE MONEY OUT THE POCKETS AND YOU WILL SEE...HAVE FAITH AND STOP SAYING IT WON'T WORK...WORDS ARE POWERFUL...BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!!!"

** 
37. @patricksmith7380
"I am down. i agree. I think everyone in America should go on a strike and stay home to buy or pay anything. I believe it will work"

**
38. @faithfirst9775
"I am buying what I please I put my trust in the lord not y’all 😂"

**
39.  @Aponii50
"No shopping today for me. I followed the assignment. Come on Black People this is an opportunity to come together. The ones that did we can make the difference. The ones that didn't or won't, you're the contributing factors as to why our communities are sinking. Let's do this!! ❤"

**
40. @Yayahey
"Yay! No shoplifting!!"

**
41. @BobBilly-l9k
"Lol. Man you people are so pathetic that it hurts. You people are only 13% of the US population??. Who do people think that you are??. Please get over yourselves. Pathetic 100% pathetic it’s not even funny it’s just pathetic."
-snip-
A photograph of a White man accompanies the comments in this discussion thread that were published by @BobBilli-l9k.
 
**
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42. @jhssmith2004
"Me thinks you protest too much."

**
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43. @Treetop-ji1yz
"@BobBilli-l9k

Bill Bob who do you think you are. You need to take your own advice. Sit down have a coke and STFU!!!!"

**
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44. @goodjobb24
"It's been 13% for decades. Somebody lying."

**
45. @Treetop-ji1yz
" @BobBilly-l9k 

Billy Bob you need to take your own advice. You definitely beyond pathetic.  Sit down drink your orange aid and SYT."

**
Reply
46. @BobBilly-l9k
"@ how so? Please tell me how I am lying??"

**
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47. @theillustriousone8324
"🤣🤣🤣 The fact that you think you're in the caucasian 1% club is CRAZY. The 99% of caucasians are the most forgotten and neglected group in the world. Other groups are actually aware of what's going on and actively affect the world, while you guys are literally living next door to us with nothing to add nor gain from this system

No other group is more depressed, self harming, opioid addicted, sickly, disease-ridden, cancerous, neglected, ignored or have the low birth rates as you fake aryans. Do a tiny bit of research and you'll also notice your most racist friends and family are so hateful because they realize the aryan can and is slowly going extinct

Nice try pinky, you have no we. YOU are not a part of the government or the system's we group, no other people in the world end their lives as often as YOU ALL. Now ask yourself why"

**
Reply
48. @BobBilly-l9k
"@ man you’re so pathetic you’re grasping at straws. Deep down inside you know you’re 100% wrong. Deep down inside you know that is true that Black people kill the most Black people in the US each and every year. It’s not the evil racist, white man or cops. It is Black people like you that killed the most Black people in the US. You people are the only people did you catch that you people are the only people that kill each other at a 91% rate."

**
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49. @mismissy
"13% is a lie 🤣🤣🤣 and why are you always in our space and face?"

**
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50. @theillustriousone8324
"​@BobBilly-l9k  you do realize depression and su!c!de is not as popular in Africa, right? Why are you guys so sad if you got it so good? You still think propaganda is news, ketchup mustard"

**
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51. @Iman-ve3il
"13% that will bankrupt your asses😂😂😂😂"

**
Reply
52. @hellorg
"Hahaha this is a complete joke!.black people only make up.13% of the population, if no black person spent a dimw it wouldnt hurt anyones pockets....DEI is the most racist policy."

**
Reply
53.@mphenomenal
"Over 1.5 trillion  dollars in buying  power"

**
Reply
54. @WildBill-z8p
"Actually your wrong black people are cash cow that’s why 13% equals to a billion dollars consumers good sold.just in United States alone !!"

**
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55. @justPOC55
"SO YOU SAY BECAUSE THE STATS ARE DONE BY WHITE MEN AND OF COURSE THEY DON'T LIE.  BLACK PEOPLE HAVE THE BUYING POWER BECAUSE WE BUY MORE THAN ANY OTHER ETHNIC GROUP STEW-PIT!"

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56. @wandamajette5000
"Fine.

Even if it doesn't make a dent in their pockets, it keeps money in our pockets.  And that's good all by itself."

**
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57. @hellorg
"@WildBill-z8p  all you are doing is hurting black vendors that supply these stores."

**
58. @LadySunflower1224
"I have been doing it it since Jan 1 2025.Target..Amazon ..Walmart..can kick rock's.🤛🏾✊🏽

**
59. @zariyaio4585
"Walmart is the closest store to me, yes I went shopping, the store  was packed . I have a kid to feed and I’m hungry, just got off work, I’m tired. Kroger and publix are too far away. The mom and pop shops around me are arab and asian owned and they prices are too high. There is no black owned grocery store nor any other store around me. I live in Atlanta."

**
Reply
60. @DiannaBeacham
"You could have taken your ass day befor"

**
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61. @poopapapa
"@DiannaBeacham

It ain’t that simple.  I’ve lived in major cities and small towns.  The dynamics are different.

And front loading your protest on the last day of the shortest month is a wack way to protest."

**
62. @818tarot8
"I will only buy black today!!"

**
Reply
63. @jroc2k
"Facts"

**
64. @knoxjr4977
"We ALL have to SACRIFICE just as we did back when Dr. King gave us instructions during the busing boycott.  GET ON BOARD  and stop with the madness!"

**
65. @TheGoat-u3e
"Count me in! We need to start going without things we really don't need! #less shopping #less spending"

**
66. @TheLibitzmandy
"It's been going well too but I 5:40  have seen some folks who don't care til they F around and find out 🫢 My family are making permanent changes...... permanent!!!!!"
-snip-
That number is a time stamp for the conversation which occurs in that video.

The African American Vernacular English saying "F around and find out" is usually given as "FAFO" in contemporary online videos and articles.

**
67. @GiGi52020
"Yes I did join in and proud of it!"

**
68. @jeannehannigan9719
"I am not buying anything today! I was in the habit of observing "not one dime day" on what used to be black friday. One day? Piece of cake, especially since I can shop at any local retail stores. Not a sacrifice. I can do this EVERY FRIDAY!"

**
69. @IHaveawakened
"What have you people been doing?! Ive been boycotted these companies for over two years... maybe if you did what i have done and walked away from these companies instead of playing catch up the next day, things would get done."

**
70. @caseay2761
"Effective boycotts last longer than a day. This is a good start, but we need to do at least 1 full month or longer to get their attention and put a dent on the bottom line."

**
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71. @kellyandrews8161
"One day is a start.  We can go from there, baby steps."

**
72. @StarchildeX
"✨💖✊🏽💖✨ SOLIDARITY to my Black brothers and sisters! Love y'all!"
-snip-
The photograph that accompanies this comment suggests that it was written by a young non-Black male.

**
73. @mzzodiacc
"This the REAL

BlacK. Friday!!✊🏾💥"

**
74. @InternationalNico
"🙄 funny thing is the Latinos did it for immigration rights. Blacks should have been did a boycott over how they treated us. A boycott because of prices🤣🤣 weak"

**
Reply
75. @regigill7186
"First of all, it's NOT because of prices. It's because of them dropping DEI policies"

**
76. @nattydreadlocks1973
"So y'all not buying any fake hair today? Okay."

**
Reply
77. @dajohnsons7772
"😂😂😂"

**
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78. @ericajade3703
"wow, let’s stop being petty. this is not a joke. Black folks aren’t the only people who wear weave or buy hair. Grow up."

**
Reply
79. @sparklesp9304
"@ericajade3703 It's an attack on black women, ma'am. Not black people. Black women."

**
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80. @ericajade3703
"@ you reinforce stereotypes I see you and everyone else on this whole thread supports.

I’m out. I don’t have time for playing childish games especially on social media anyway. We should be spreading positivity not hate and spreading negative stereotypes. I see you."

**
81, @Cuzzinish
"Its called black out not white out smh all these white people trying to include they're selfs in our protest as always talking about we? what we? where was we in this together in November huh????? Non showed up at that voting booth smh"
-snip-
"November" refers to the national United States election for President, Vice President, and members of Congress etc.

**
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82. @NachoAmiga
"We all need to boycott, even the ones that voted against their own interests!"

**
Reply
83. @lynneborrie-belcher895
"Respectfully as a white person I care about what happens to us all. Allyship will only get things done faster. I voted for Kamala because she was the most qualified candidate. Didn't matter that she was Black/Asian or purple. She was even more impressive because of her womanhood. I was ashamed of my fellow countrymen. Please don't exclude those looking to help. God bless you!: Let's work together please."

**
84. @mauricewalton6044
"I'm on board which makes it easy since I'm broke anyway🤣"

**
85. @detroitsfinest2399
"Why they do it on a day when everyone gets paid???"

**
Reply
86. @B-GURL88
"I think it was set up that way because it was the last day of Black History month. In fact I believe I heard Pastor Jamal say that was the reason it was on the 28th which just happens to be a on a Friday..."

**
87. @ecoates5341
"I see a lot of good field hands ✋🏾✋🏾in the comments that can’t stand to be apart of anything positive. I say to you good boy get back to work!"
-snip-
In the context of this comment, "field hands" refers to how enslaved Black people in the United States were mostly categorized as either "field slaves" or "house slaves".

**
88. @dionsherman3824
"All it takes is some self discipline and consciousness we can do this!!!

**
89. @DeeTermined50
"I don't know how true this is, but I heard that Trump supporters set aside this day as their "buy up everything'' day. So, considering that, I don't know how much impact will be felt. My family and I did join in the 24-hour boycott, though."

**
90. @Realrap2727
"Makes NO DIFFERENCE in my life. I can go the distance honestly. NEVER WILL I PAY FOR DISRESPECT/DISREGARD"

**
91. @Robert-u3i
"#BLACKWALLSTREET🔥🔥 LETS BRING IT BACK❗❗❗"

**
92. @co11aboration
"Did not buy or order a thing today"

**
93. @sylviaphillips219
"I did not purchase anything at all I did go to black truck food Friday that's it I did it yesss"

**
94. @ladyt4478
"Didn't do any shopping today. We had our fish dinner at a black owned business. Felt good. ❤"

**
95. @trinab531
"Yes.  As I was saying to a friend.  This is how MLK and the civil rights movement got us to where we are as a people.  This government is trying to send us backward.

Negative thinking that this one day blackout will not work is exactly how Trump was re-elected to office.  We must realize WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER!"

**
96. @MeMe-jq3ky
"Imagine if we did this consistently? Only buy what we need for a while. Watch how much you save! And watch how much they lose."

**
Reply
97. @whistlertimbc
"Every Friday"

**
98. @Paulette-b2r
"WE CAN DO IT ❤❤❤❤❤❤WE ARE FED UP OF BEEN DISRESPECTED BY WHITE PEOPLE.  OUR ANCESTORS WILL NOT DIE IN VAIN. REMEMBER 400 YEARS OF SLAVERY."

**
99. @symptomoftheuniverse4149

"Too bad we will never be told, what the numbers were, no company is going to say ‘we lost millions’. I never got out of my pajamas, I work from home, but I have to take short trips. So I need to gas up, get something to eat, might stop and pick up necessities, but not on Friday."

**
100. @Nitta43
"So how did we do?   Bcz I ain't do jack all day til it was time to go to work tonight."

**
March 1, 2025

101.@Michelle-so2hz
"I fell good about not shopping yesterday. I actually didn’t shop at any corporations for most of my month Black History Month 💁🏽‍♀️. I’m loving this"

**
102. @B3xtraSweet
"This is just a publicity stunt by a racist White guy who thinks African people are stupid."

**
Reply
103. @msjayy1607
"Not necessary this is something that need to be done across America whether they white or black they’re sucking up our dollars especially in black neighborhood."

**
Reply
104. @symptomoftheuniverse4149
"I don’t understand your comment. The ‘no shop day’ is stupid?"

**
Reply
105. @B3xtraSweet
"@ This was an A & B conversation so C your way out of it."

**
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106. @B3xtraSweet
"@symptomoftheuniverse4149  in my opinion, the boycott or “blackout” was not cultural appropriate. It was started by a white guy who by one source says is a meditation teacher, and by other sources say he works for People the magazine, either way it is a concept African people used when their rights was being violated during Jim Crow and this Caucasian man so-called started a social media trend to promote business. So in my opinion, I feel like the guy named John Schwartz is racist and he must think African people are stupid too if he thinks African people are in able to identify his business strategy motives. But that’s just my opinion."

**
107.@donbrown254
"So you going to stop shopping for a day. Jyst so you can go back on sunday and double up"

**
Reply
108. @SuperTruthful
"nope"

**
Reply
109. @symptomoftheuniverse4149
"Why do we need to double up? I can go a week and not shop, if I do not feel like it."

**
Reply
110. @SuperTruthful
"double up for what?"

**
Reply
111. @donbrown254
"@SuperTruthful  because you are going to go into Walmart target pick n save and buy everything that you didn't buy the day before"

**
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112. @symptomoftheuniverse4149
" @donbrown254  Just admit this is not the case. I do not have a Costco/Sam’s club membership, nor an Amazon not even a Walmart app. There is a huge group of people who live simply."

**
113. @big_Dawg84
"Wow I'm 40 yrs old been preaching this since 2014 now folks wanna wake up n see that even being some of the poorest ppl we spend the most money! Now can we also stop claiming GOD but then spending all yo money on pagan holidays that have nothing to do with GOD?"

**
114. @DontBDeceivedUsowUreap
"One day, just one day -  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

**
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115. @Gurn_Blanston
"The only people seeking YOUR face, are cops who have warrants for your arrest. 😂"

**
116. @Deescizzle
"One day is not enough. These companies work in quarters, so if you bought the day before/after, doesn't matter. We have to do this permanently"

**
117. @ebiz1473
"Now yall wanna boycott😂😂😂"

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Reply
118. @Pshousinginc
"never to later support or get out the way to many of you clowns in the way"

**
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119. @Ms.Royalty7743
"Better be now than later🤷🏽‍♀️"

**
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120. @NidiaGodinez-m1s
"Black out if they act out......:)"

**
121, @peggytwo3979
"24 hours is not enough keep, it rolling for as long as you can."

**
Reply
122. @h2opower
"Nah, in order to be effective this is something that has to be done for a month or more to effect those at the top.

I've been Boycotting companies like Walmart, Papa Johns, and a lot of others since 2017 for their support of racism and haven't been back to those companies that supported hate ever since."

**
123. @Swnsasy
"Target fast is working. Dropped their stock $18 and still dropping"

**
Reply
124. @h2opower
"@Swnsasy  They too made it on my boycott list for their treatment of veterans but I do admit I do shop their from time to time but never spend over $100 per year."

**
Reply
125. @Swnsasy
"@h2opower  Same here!!"

**
126. @SuperTruthful
"i didn't spend one red cent"

**
127. @lindam4953
"I’m not on TikTok and I didn’t know about the black out. I typically order my groceries on Friday afternoons but I forgot to order yesterday. Lol, glad I didn’t."

**
Reply
128. @robo1389
"Wasn't only on tiktok, though but glad God reminded you to keep your $ for yourself today😅😅😅✌🏾"

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129. @healthylife1499
"🎉🎉🎉🎉 love these random stories!!!❤❤❤❤"

**
130. @FredNewsome
"boycott them out of business."

 **
131. @nathanjones6638
"How much damage did we do yesterday? I hope the oligarchs lost a lot of money."

** 
Reply
132. @sheilahollingshed4415
"Baby if I tell you, Walmart was empty, as hell. Em - p - tee😱

It was the best Birthday I’ve ever had, people wanted to come and take me out for my birthday on yesterday, and I said NO!!! But I asked them to stand in solidarity

Of this Blackout, and they did and it was a Beautiful Birthday 🎂"

**
Reply
133. @healthylife1499
"❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND WAY TO GO!!!"

**
134.@Renee-is-love
"🙌🏾 blackout"

**
135. @deborahpace7164
"I support the economic black outs and I didn't buy anything on February 28,,2025."

**
136. @montyblack7921
"I did not use the card or money on 2/28/25 at large corporations. I hope we made a difference 🙏.  Stand for something so we don't fall for anything."

**
137. @unique4youllc.55
"It’s not about not shopping but more so about spending at your small home town shops and not at big box stores."

**
138. @dawns1017
"I shop way too much (never with credit cards), but just over-consumption.  My family did the blackout, and I’m so proud of everyone.  A Friday night with no take out? I’m thinking about doing a no-buy-Friday every week.  I have stopped going to the backed-off DEI stores.  I am definitely going to be more mindful moving forward and spending time finding black-owned businesses for everyday needs."

**
139. @ScottBlackula
"I didnt buy anything on February 28th....they should give out stickers like they do when we vote"

**
Reply
140. @BlaxxxareWackDirtyBlaxxx
"You want a sticker for not shopping? How mature of you😂😂"

**
141. @soniakbibbs7040
"I didn't  buy shiggady y'all...I 8 and skated, went home and went to bed 😐

In that perfect order ✊🏾"

**
142. @Prettydamnmean
"Started saving your money"

**
143. @Prettydamnmean
"I went to a small store yesterday and came back home"

**
144. @michaelbyrd7827
"Contact your local Black Chamber of Commerce for a list of Black-owned businesses.

 The Montgomery Bus Boycott started as a one day Boycott and kept getting extended until  the objective was achieved."

Previous generations have showed us the way. We have work to do."

**
145. @aureyd2515
"It's not just the money. It's not just the boycott.  Its the fact that enough of us are trying to get on the same page. It's the organizing, the solidarity across the lines they have devided us by.

Know that they don't want to see any of us engaging in this way unless they've astroturfed it themselves. We have power just in passive resistance to doing what they want us to do"

**
146. @Pshousinginc
"capitalism is they GOD hit em in the pocket books . yes sir"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

African Americans In The United States Military During World War II (Article Excerpt) & A YouTube Video Of The Double V Campaign of World War II

Black History in Two Minutes or so, Jan 10, 2020

The Double V Campaign was launched by a prominent black newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier, in 1942. The campaign came in response to buzz generated from a letter written by a young black man, James G. Thompson. His article, entitled, “Should I Sacrifice to Live ‘Half-American”, broke barriers and started a conversation nationally that many blacks had been having for generations.

As the nation claimed victory in World War II, many black veterans carried their excitement back home. The charge was clear: victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home. This assertion came in response to decades of expecting African-Americans to choose patriotism in times of war, but not experience equal protection of the law at home.

In this episode of 'Black History in Two Minutes or So' hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. — with additional commentary from Farah Griffin of Columbia University and Peniel Joseph from the University of Texas — we explore a campaign that ignited many African-Americans to take down Jim Crow laws and become key players in the civil rights movement...

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video about African Americans who were part of the United States military during World War II. This video focuses on "The Double V Campaign in which African Americans members of the United States military dedicated themselves to eradicate fascism oversees and Jim Crow discrimination in the United States.

This post also presents an article excerpt about African Americans in the United States military during World War II.

The content of this post is presented for historical and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the memories of those African American members of the United States military during World War II and thanks to all those who are associated with this embedded video and this article excerpt. 
 
****
ARTICLE EXCERPT - AFRICAN AMERICANS FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM AT HOME AND ABROAD DURING WORLD WAR II

[This excerpt doesn't include any photographs that are part of the article.]

From https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/african-americans-fought-freedom-home-and-abroad-during-world-war-ii  "African Americans Fought for Freedom at Home and Abroad during World War II" by Tyler Bamford, February 1, 2020

In the face of racism and segregation, Black men and women served in every branch of the armed services during World War II.

"More than one million African American men and women served in every branch of the US armed forces during World War II. In addition to battling the forces of Fascism abroad, these Americans also battled racism in the United States and in the US military. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps all segregated African Americans into separate units because of the belief that they were not as capable as white service members. Adding to this indignity, the Army frequently assigned White officers from the American South to command Black infantrymen.

In spite of these dispiriting obstacles, African Americans fought with distinction in every theater of the war. Some of the more famous Black units included the 332nd Fighter Group, which shot down 112 enemy planes during the course of 179 bomber escort missions over Europe, and the 761st Tank Battalion, which served in General George S. Patton’s Third Army. …African Americans also served in equally vital positions throughout the Army as nurses, engineers, truck drivers, gunners, and paratroopers.

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This willingness on the part of African American soldiers to sacrifice their lives for a country that treated them as second-class citizens is remarkable. Various accounts relate how German prisoners of war could enter facilities reserved for white Americans that black servicemen could not patronize.

When the US Marine Corps began recruiting a contingent of black Marines in June 1942, men from across the country flocked to enlist. These Marines trained at Montford Point, North Carolina. Although the “Montford Point Marines” excelled at gunnery and drill, they too faced the same segregation and hostility as men and women in the other branches. The Marine Corps Commandant, Major General Thomas Holcomb, resented being forced to accept African Americans into the Corps, and unlike the Army, the Marine Corps did not permit any Black men to become officers until November 1945.

In May 1943, Private R. J. Wood was even arrested for impersonating a Marine when he traveled home on leave to Cleveland, Ohio. The police officers did not know African American Marines existed. In North Carolina, a policeman slapped Edgar Cole‘s official orders out of his hand and told Cole that he was not allowed to wait on the street corner for a Marine driver to pick him up and take him to Montford Point. Despite the racism black Marines encountered, they distinguished themselves in the battles of Peleliu, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. By 1944, more than 18,000 Marines had trained at Montford Point and 12,000 were stationed overseas.

Even when African Americans were denied the opportunity to serve in combat roles, they still found ways to distinguish themselves. Doris “Dorie” Miller was a steward aboard the USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Although he had never been trained on the ship’s weapons, he manned a machine gun during the attack and carried wounded sailors to safety. For his actions, Miller became the first African American to receive the Navy Cross. Following Dorie’s actions and lobbying from civil rights groups, the US Navy increasingly sent Black sailors to sea in combat roles. On March 20, 1944, the Navy commissioned the destroyer escort USS Mason, the first ship to have a predominantly Black crew.

Other African Americans serving in Construction Battalions behind the lines volunteered for extremely hazardous duty as stretcher bearers in several Pacific campaigns. Back in the United States, African American men and women worked in defense plants that built the ships and planes of the most powerful Navy and Air Force in the world.

The achievements of African Americans during the war provided valuable evidence that civil rights activists used in their demands for equality. Though President Harry S. Truman ordered the US military to desegregate entirely in 1948, African Americans’ fight for equal civil rights was far from over."

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