So the US recently forced the Dutch to remove a memorial to America's own Black soldiers that died liberating the Netherlands from the nazis?
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So the US recently forced the Dutch to remove a memorial to America's own Black soldiers that died liberating the Netherlands from the nazis? On brand.
Towards the end of WW2, the French were shocked when the US refused to let its own Black soldiers join the celebration the liberation of Paris.
The 761st Tank Battalion was an all Black tank unit that served with distinction as part of Pattons 3rd army. They killed a lot of nazis, and liberated over 30 French towns, and much of the Netherlands.
If you saw their Black Panther logo? It was all over for you. Black Panther beats German Panzer.
These elite Black soldiers racked up victories.
But they weren't immortal, and they didn't have superior weapons to either the Germans or white American soldiers. They were just brave. Many Black soldiers died freeing Europe from the nazis.
Europeans were grateful.
Racist Americans? Not so much.
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So the US recently forced the Dutch to remove a memorial to America's own Black soldiers that died liberating the Netherlands from the nazis? On brand.
Towards the end of WW2, the French were shocked when the US refused to let its own Black soldiers join the celebration the liberation of Paris.
The 761st Tank Battalion was an all Black tank unit that served with distinction as part of Pattons 3rd army. They killed a lot of nazis, and liberated over 30 French towns, and much of the Netherlands.
If you saw their Black Panther logo? It was all over for you. Black Panther beats German Panzer.
These elite Black soldiers racked up victories.
But they weren't immortal, and they didn't have superior weapons to either the Germans or white American soldiers. They were just brave. Many Black soldiers died freeing Europe from the nazis.
Europeans were grateful.
Racist Americans? Not so much.
So of course, it is the same 761 unit that was among those prevented from celebrating the liberation of Paris that they were so instrumental in bringing about...
That was part of the force that liberated Netherlands, and whose dead are among those honored by the Dutch at the cemetery in Margraten.
Some things that are true:
* Black soldiers have served with distinction in every major US war
* Racist white people will always try to minimize the accomplishments of Black soldiers or erase them completely
"Double victory" describes Black soldiers' need to fight oppression abroad and at home
This type of attempted racist erasure doesn't even make sense in the digital era.
There were over 1 million Black US soldiers who fought in WW2. You can buy as many Twitters and newspapers and TV stations and remove as many plaques as you like. You can't hide all those stories.
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J Jürgen Hubert shared this topic on
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So of course, it is the same 761 unit that was among those prevented from celebrating the liberation of Paris that they were so instrumental in bringing about...
That was part of the force that liberated Netherlands, and whose dead are among those honored by the Dutch at the cemetery in Margraten.
Some things that are true:
* Black soldiers have served with distinction in every major US war
* Racist white people will always try to minimize the accomplishments of Black soldiers or erase them completely
"Double victory" describes Black soldiers' need to fight oppression abroad and at home
This type of attempted racist erasure doesn't even make sense in the digital era.
There were over 1 million Black US soldiers who fought in WW2. You can buy as many Twitters and newspapers and TV stations and remove as many plaques as you like. You can't hide all those stories.
The post-WWII occupation of Germany was also a strange affair for Black soldiers stationed in Germany.
Inside US bases, they were segregated. Outside their bases, segregation in Germany was now illegal.
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So the US recently forced the Dutch to remove a memorial to America's own Black soldiers that died liberating the Netherlands from the nazis? On brand.
Towards the end of WW2, the French were shocked when the US refused to let its own Black soldiers join the celebration the liberation of Paris.
The 761st Tank Battalion was an all Black tank unit that served with distinction as part of Pattons 3rd army. They killed a lot of nazis, and liberated over 30 French towns, and much of the Netherlands.
If you saw their Black Panther logo? It was all over for you. Black Panther beats German Panzer.
These elite Black soldiers racked up victories.
But they weren't immortal, and they didn't have superior weapons to either the Germans or white American soldiers. They were just brave. Many Black soldiers died freeing Europe from the nazis.
Europeans were grateful.
Racist Americans? Not so much.
@mekkaokereke my father was a child in occupied Holland during WWII and I remember him saying the US black soldiers were the first black people he ever saw in his young life and they were revered by locals. They and the other liberating forces left a lasting impression on him.
He was quite shocked to the state of things when he grew up and immigrated to the US in the early 60s.
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@mekkaokereke my father was a child in occupied Holland during WWII and I remember him saying the US black soldiers were the first black people he ever saw in his young life and they were revered by locals. They and the other liberating forces left a lasting impression on him.
He was quite shocked to the state of things when he grew up and immigrated to the US in the early 60s.
@mekkaokereke @Balderdoordash I grew up in Germany near a US Army base in the 80s when the memory of liberation was still strong (even with the German population). I was friends with one US soldier in particular and remember him saying that black soldiers loved being stationed in Europe because there, they were Americans first and black second.
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@mekkaokereke @Balderdoordash I grew up in Germany near a US Army base in the 80s when the memory of liberation was still strong (even with the German population). I was friends with one US soldier in particular and remember him saying that black soldiers loved being stationed in Europe because there, they were Americans first and black second.
@TheCybermatron @mekkaokereke @Balderdoordash
Black Americans do get a lot more respect in Germany than Black people born in Africa, since they don't have the "immigrants from poor countries" stigma.
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@TheCybermatron @mekkaokereke @Balderdoordash
Black Americans do get a lot more respect in Germany than Black people born in Africa, since they don't have the "immigrants from poor countries" stigma.
@juergen_hubert @Balderdoordash @mekkaokereke That is absolutely true. I noticed that when I lived there again during the “refugee crisis” in 2014/15. So, I’m not suggesting that there is no racism in Germany. Far from it. It just seemed that, at least back in the 80s, you being an American outweighed you being black.
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@juergen_hubert @Balderdoordash @mekkaokereke That is absolutely true. I noticed that when I lived there again during the “refugee crisis” in 2014/15. So, I’m not suggesting that there is no racism in Germany. Far from it. It just seemed that, at least back in the 80s, you being an American outweighed you being black.
@TheCybermatron @Balderdoordash @mekkaokereke
It was also very flattering. The USA were long held as the epitome of Freedom and Liberty in Germany (and in those days, it was easier to believe for Germans) - yet Americans choose to live _here_, in the former Third Reich?
Huge ego boost.
Of course, racism is still widespread in Germany. As someone who is not targeted by racism, I can't really say how bad it is. Anecdotally, a black friend of mine from South Africa says that Germany is less racist than the country she grew up in, but that's damning with faint praise...
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So the US recently forced the Dutch to remove a memorial to America's own Black soldiers that died liberating the Netherlands from the nazis? On brand.
Towards the end of WW2, the French were shocked when the US refused to let its own Black soldiers join the celebration the liberation of Paris.
The 761st Tank Battalion was an all Black tank unit that served with distinction as part of Pattons 3rd army. They killed a lot of nazis, and liberated over 30 French towns, and much of the Netherlands.
If you saw their Black Panther logo? It was all over for you. Black Panther beats German Panzer.
These elite Black soldiers racked up victories.
But they weren't immortal, and they didn't have superior weapons to either the Germans or white American soldiers. They were just brave. Many Black soldiers died freeing Europe from the nazis.
Europeans were grateful.
Racist Americans? Not so much.
@mekkaokereke Here's an update you'll like: the satirical Dutch newsprograms 'Even tot hier' ('Up until here') has placed duplicate panels just outside the US controlled grounds, including panels about Trumps discriminatory executive orders, and spelled out the name William F. James Junior in hay bales in an adjacent field. Unfortunately, all panels were soon removed by the police; they are now looking for a permanent location. #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLiberators #Margraten #Veterans #BlackFedi
