Lesson Seed 6:  African-Americans at Normandy

Students will examine photographs of African Americans arriving shortly after D-Day and their efforts in this campaign. These photos can be accessed at http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar.  Students will then answer these questions:

•        What are the African-Americans doing?

•        Is their role reflective of how African-Americans were treated in the 1940's.
Why or why not?

Use the account of Sgt. Edward Farley, an African-American soldier who participated in Operation Overlord. Students can understand the role of African-Americans in the military and the adverse conditions in which they served. The article can be found at http://www.dday.org by pulling down the “About D-Day menu, and referring to the “Overlord Profiles.” Students should be made aware of the fact that African-Americans were motivated to serve their country despite living in a segregated nation, and they performed their jobs with amazing efficiency. This also forms the basis of a good Character Education lesson about overcoming adversity.