Fighting for Hope

Robert F. Jefferson is an associate professor of history and director of the African American Studies Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

An important and timely book, especially given the recent historic changes in the American political scene. World War II History 2009 Robert F. Jefferson provides a complex and nuanced-yet highly readable-account of the African American soldiers who served in the all-black and segregated U.S. Army's 93rd Infantry Division... A marvelous book. -- Andrew E. Kersten Annals of Iowa 2009 Jefferson's Fighting for Hope is a rigorously researched, richly etched re-creation of the formation of the all-black Ninety-third Infantry Division, which fought in the Pacific theater. -- Gerald Early Journal of American History 2010 Well-written work. -- Alan Osur American Historical Review Fighting for Hope provides an immensely useful model for not only historians, but also political scientists studying how race, war, and culture shaped the lives of African Americans in the early twentieth century. For students of black military history, this book is a must read. -- Judson L. Jeffries History: Reviews of New Books 2010 An invaluable contribution to military history, African American history, and American social history. -- Hayward "Woody" Farrar Journal of American Ethnic History 2011

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: Recasting the African American Experience in World War IIPart I: The Crucible1. The Great Depression and African American Youth Culture2. Why Should I Fight? Black Morale and War Department Racial Policy3. Of Sage and Sand: Fort Huachuca and the U.S. 93rd Infantry DivisionPart II: The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Holds the Shield4. Service Families on the Move5. War Maneuvers and Black Division PersonnelPart III: Race and Sex Matter in the Pacific6. War, Race, and Rumor under the Southern Cross7. Relative Security in the Southwest PacificEpilogue: Black 93rd Division Veterans and Former Service Families after World War IINotesEssay on SourcesIndex