World War I, the “Harlem Hellfighters”—the 369th Infantry Regiment—were pivotal. The all-Black unit spent more time in continuous combat than any other American unit of its size, with 191 days in the front-line trenches, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. They received high honors of the Croix de Guerre from the French government. Despite their courage, they returned to a segregated nation, their heroism unacknowledged and often unseen. Yet, these soldiers pressed forward, helping shape an ongoing fight for civil rights upon their return home.
