A New Bill Aims to Pay Back Black Vets Excluded from the G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill of 1944 provided free education, unemployment pay and home loans for millions of veterans returning from fighting in World War II. These benefits helped to expand the American middle class after the war.But many returning Black veterans were excluded because of segregation. And that exclusion helped widen the wealth gap between white and Black Americans. A bill in Congress would repair some of that harm by paying reparations to the families of nearly one million Black veterans who served in World War II. NPR's Quil Lawrence spoke with the family of Bill Dabney, who fought in the little known Barrage Balloon Battalion, about what that money would mean to them.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@.
In 'Half American,' Matthew Delmont explores mistreatment of Black servicemen : NPR
G.I. Bill Gives Back to Soldiers Returning from WWII - The official blog of Newspapers.com
FDR and the GI Bill – Forward with Roosevelt
The history of the GI Bill
How a Hostile America Undermined Its Black World War II Veterans – Mother Jones
50 Perfectly Legal Ways To Get Money & Benefits Without Paying Taxes
Lawyers Have a Plan to Pay Reparations to Black Americans
Veterans benefits 2020: Most underused state benefit - VA News
How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans
The GI Bill (article)
Many Black veterans were denied G.I. Bill benefits after World War II. Some lawmakers want to correct the historical error. - CBS News
California lawmakers say reparations bills, which exclude widespread payments, are a starting point
READ: How Systemic Inequities Kept Many Black Veterans From Building Black Prosperity - IAVA
