Minorities in the U.S. Military

Panelists discussed the relationship between historic discrimination within the armed forces and the declining desire among African-American men to serve in the armed forces. Colonel Tom Bowers spoke about the history of the 24th regiment, an African-American unit, in the Korean War and the overall integration of the armed forces during this period. He is the co-author of Black Soldier, White Army. Then, military historian Alan Gropman spoke about an ongoing Center study concerning African-American men’s decreasing willingness to join the armed forces and how this can be halted. After the presentations, the panelists responded to questions and comments from members of the audience. close