Blacks in the Persian Gulf War (1st Gulf War)
African Americans and the Persian Gulf Crisis
This article addresses two issues: the African-American response to United States involvement in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf war and interrelated factors explaining the nature of that response. Despite the historical symbolism associated with African-American participation and disproportionate representation in the military, African Americans composed the most consistently identifiable strata either opposed to or suspicious of the deployment of U.S. troops and military equipment in the Gulf. The pattern of African-American response to the Gulf War is remarkably similar to its underlying reactions to military conflicts taking place in the recent past, including the Vietnam War and Laos invasion of the 1960s and 1970s. The weight of the evidence suggests African-American public opinion during the Gulf War was not simply part and parcel of a growing national isolationism. Rather, it reflects African America's level of political dissent, tolerance, and antiimperialism [sic].
Source:
Jacquelin Howard-Matthews, Wellesley College
03/21/1993
Trotter Review: Vol. 7: Iss. 1, Article 10.
Available at: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/trotter_review/vol7/iss1/10
WAR IN THE GULF: THE TROOPS;
Blacks Wary of Their Big Role as Troops
In 1991, there were about 104,000 black men and women on the Kuwaiti boarder. Defense Department statistics showed that African Americans accounted for nearly 25% of American Troops in the Persian Gulf and almost 30 percent of Army troops there.
Despite their numbers in the armed forces, blacks make up 12 percent of the nation's civilian population. And as the gulf conflict moves closer to ground combat, a painful debate has divided many blacks about young blacks' role in the war and in the military.
Source:
The New York Times
By Isabel Wilkerson, Special to the New York Times
Jan. 25, 1991
WAR IN THE GULF: The Black G.I.;
Blacks Are Hailed by Bush for Their Role in Military
Responding to complaints that there are a disproportionate number of blacks in the Persian Gulf forces, President Bush today called the American military "the greatest equal opportunity employer around" and praised black military heroes, living and dead.
"For two centuries, black soldiers have established a record of pride in the face of incredible obstacles," Mr. Bush said at a White House ceremony marking February as "black history month."
Source:
The New York Times
By Andrew Rosenthal, Special to the New York Times
Feb. 26, 1991