African-Americans in World War II Florida

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During World War II, thousands of African-American servicemen were stationed in Florida, and more than 50,000 black Floridians entered the service.

Photo Credit: Florida State Archives

While many African Americans served in World War II, the era also opened up new opportunities for black Floridians.

World War II provided new opportunities for Florida’s African-American population and underscored the social, political and economic inequalities under which they lived. World War II is often viewed as a catalyst for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

The war brought increased economic opportunities for black Floridians, thousands of whom worked in defense plants, shipyards and military bases, and, for the first time, attained higher-paying positions previously reserved for whites.

World War II is often viewed as a catalyst for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Thousands of African-American servicemen were stationed in Florida, and more than 50,000 black Floridians entered the service. One of the most famous black units of the war was the 99th Fighter Squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen, which trained for a time at Tallahassee’s Dale Mabry Air Field.

During the war, the NAACP won court victories that granted equal pay to black teachers, and blacks began to serve on juries in several Florida counties. After the 1944 Supreme Court Smith v. Allwright decision outlawed the white-only primary, large numbers of blacks registered and voted in post-war elections.