(H)our History Lesson: African American Contributions on the Home Front in Paterson, New Jersey, WWII Heritage City

Image 1: Plant no. 1 of Wright Aeronautical Corporation in Paterson, New Jersey postcard (1930-1945)

Credit: Digital Commonwealth Massachusetts Collections Online

About this Lesson

This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, with Paterson, New Jersey designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson includes readings aimed at helping students understand the challenges African Americans in Paterson encountered on the home front, as well as some of their contributions. The lesson examines challenges at the vocational school, acknowledgement of local African American service members in a service flag, and tolerance talks among faith and community leaders in the fight against discrimination.

Teacher Note

The texts and a photo in this lesson use historical language and labels not used today to describe the race or abilities of individuals. Discuss this with students. 

Objectives:

1. Describe experiences and challenges of African Americans in Paterson on the home front.

2. Identify contributions of African Americans in Paterson to the war effort.

3. Explain how the partnership among, and advocacy of, faith and community groups helped challenge racism and discrimination on the home front.

Materials for Students:

1. Readings 1, 2, 3

2. Recommended: Map of Paterson, New Jersey

3. Images -- All images from this lesson are available in the Paterson, NJ Gallery:

Paterson, NJ: World War II Her...

17 Images

This album accompanies Paterson, NJ: A World War II Heritage City Lesson Collection. They are part of Teaching with Historic Places.

Teacher Tip: The images in the Patterson Gallery are labeled with the name of this lesson ("African Americans in Paterson") and the image number in the title. The high quality images in the gallery might be better for your classroom slides or for students to do close analysis.

Getting Started: Essential Question

How did African Americans in Paterson contribute to the home front efforts and the civil rights movement?

Read to Connect

Reading 1: Newspaper Article on Unions fighting Racial Discrimination

Background: The Executive Order referred to in the text is Executive Order 8802.29 that  President Roosevelt issued in 1941. It stated, "There shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries and in Government, because of race, creed, color, or national origin." The order led to more African American workers in the defense industries. It did not fully prevent discrimination in hiring or the workplace. As you read and answer the questions, consider the extent to which Executive Order 8802 decreased discrimination in employment.  

The C.I.O. in the text is referring to the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). This was a federation of industrial unions that organized workers from 1935 – 1955 and later became a part of the AFL-CIO. 

C.I.O. Threatens Trade School Over Racial Discrimination 

Abramson Says Policy Must Be Changed Or Labor Organization Will Ask U.S. To Withhold Funds 

The Morning Call, September 27, 1941, pp. 1-2 

Unless the Paterson Vocational School changes its policy of alleged discrimination against Negroes, the C.I.O. will ask the United States government to withhold further financial support from the institution, Irving Abramson, State president of the labor group, said last night.  

Speaking in answer to a reply James F. Mason, director of the school, gave to criticism of the local system, Mr. Abramson said the director tacitly admitted that no Negroes had been trained for defense industries and that such a policy was in direct contravention of an executive order issued in July of this year by President Roosevelt. 

‘The Vocational School heads,’ the union leader asserted, ‘openly admit discrimination against Negroes, but say there is no use teaching Negroes if industry won’t take them. That is a ‘lame excuse,’ he said, and added: 

‘The Federal government supplies the money and makes the laws. If the Vocational School does not comply with the laws it will lose its Federal subsidy.’  

Mr. Abramson said that ‘if these things are not corrected immediately we shall apply to the Federal government to withhold future subsidies.’ 

The State C.I.O. leader also called attention to the fact that the C.I.O. does not have representation on the school’s advisory board notwithstanding that the law provides for equal representation by bona fide labor organizations.  

‘I have discussed the racial issue with Mr. Abramson,’ said Mr. Mason, and continued: ‘We exercise no racial discrimination. We train in terms of main specifications submitted to us by prospective employers. 

‘The current defense vocational training program was instituted on January 2, 1940, with two definite policies in mind, namely, that there was a specific job for which to train and no training unless there were prospects of employment immediately upon completion of the course. 

‘We have adhered,’ Mr. Mason said, ‘to that program, and we have only trained men on orders. We have graduated 3,406 men and they are all placed.’  

Mr. Mason then described the organization of the Vocational school, recalling its beginning in 1912. 

Mr. Abramson’s reply last night was as follows: ‘Mr. Mason did not deny that on 3,500 men placed by the school not one single person was a Negro. He couldn’t deny it because the source of these figures is his own school records. As a matter of fact, the Vocational School heads openly admit discrimination against Negroes, but say there is no use teaching Negroes, if industry won’t take them. That is a lame excuse. 

‘The Federal government supplies the money and makes the laws. If the Vocational School does not comply with the laws it will lose its Federal subsidy. As for industry, the President of the United States in July of this year issued an executive order calling upon industry not to keep out the Negroes.  

‘If now there are no trained and skilled Negro workers available industry is given an excellent excuse for not employing them. This is just a case of passing the bucket.  

‘The law which I have cited as being violated and which Mr. Mason has completely ignored has been enacted since the United States government has subsidized that Paterson Vocational School. That laws requires the establishment of an Advisory Board on which there will be equal representation of industry and bona fide labor organizations. . . . 

 ‘Thirty years ago the United States government did not support the Paterson Vocational School. Today it does and we have a right to ask that the United States laws be lived up to.  

Of these things are not corrected immediately we shall apply to the United States government to withhold future subsidies from the Paterson Vocational School until the school complies with the laws.” . . . 

Reading 2: Newspaper Article on Local Service Flag

4th Ward Raises Its Service Flag With 1,001 Stars 

Banner Is First To Show Negroes’ Share in War Effort 

October 19, 1942, The Morning Call, p. 4 

Paterson’s largest ward, the Fourth Ward, yesterday unfurled its service flag which is dedicated to 1,001 men and women—the highest representation of any flag in the city.  

The ceremonies, which attracted more than 1,000 that jammed around the raised platform at the corner of Carroll and Governor streets, were also marked by the sale of $12,075 worth of War Bonds and the start of a fund for the establishment of a Fourth Ward service men’s canteen. 

The service flag, which measures 24 by 30 feet, is also unique because it is the first flag to take official recognition of the Negro’s part in the war effort. The soldier depicted on the huge flag, along with a reproduction of the Statue of Liberty, a worker, a nurse, and a sailor, is a Negro. 

The program, which continued for three hours, was sponsored by the Fourth Ward Victory Committee. Part of it was broadcast and two name bands—Les Brown and Buddy Yannon and their orchestras—played during most of the program.  

Irving Abramson, president of the New Jersey State C.I.O. and Democratic candidate for Congress, demanded a pledge ‘to these boys and when the war is won, we will win the peace as well.  

We must pledge them that there will be an end to discrimination, that there will be an end to economic distress, that when our boys return they will be given respectable jobs, that they will not be dumped on relief, and that there will be no repetition of mass unemployment, bread lines, apple vending, and soup kitchens. The boys must come back to find America a better place to live in.’  

Stating that he finds one thing very significant in the Fourth Ward service flag, Abramson said: ‘You will notice that all the stars are alike. There is no distinction in their size or their color. In this neighborhood I take this to symbolize the fact that we recognize the equality of all races, of all creeds, of all colors.  

‘Each star in this flag stands for a boy who is in the service. Each star is equally important. We owe an equal debt of gratitude whether the star stands for a boy who is Irish, whether he is Italian, or Jewish, or Negro, or anything else, whether he is Hebrew, whether he is Catholic, or Protestant.’  

Abramson declared that this was representative of what America is fighting for and one of the things the peace must guarantee. ‘Rich and poor, white or Negro, Jew or gentile—all serve equally in the cause of democracy and in the struggle against the dark forces of Nazism and Fascism.’  

Robert Wardle, Passaic County freeholder, told the large crowd that warring Americans are pledged that ‘liberty and freedom shall be preserved at home, and that every possible encouragement and support, both moral and material, will be given to fighting Americans wherever they may be in this world of war.’  

Declaring that the service symbolized America today, Wardle said ‘the flag is the sacred emblem that tells of our neighbors, brave Americans, fighting for the preservation of our most precious possession, freedom.’ 

Wardle recalled the famous lines of Patrick Henry, declaring that Americans have proven that they have the will to fight for liberty by their actions. The service, he said, rededicates our faith in America.  

‘It was in a search for freedom, by brave men, that America had its birth,’ he said. ‘When your and my ancestors, and more recently some here present, came to these shores, it was the freedom of America that lured them. And now, when our precious heritage of liberty is threatened, Americans prove they realize it is a priceless possession that can only be kept by those who will fight for and defend it.’ 

Joseph Sprechman, organizer for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers’ Union, C.I.O., drew applause when he called for a second front now.  

Declaring that the Fourth Ward is made up of all creeds and national groups, Sprechman said ‘all of us wish to see a victory in 1942 that can be insured by establishment of a Western Front. I do not hold with the belief that military matters should be left wholly to our Generals: we must prod our Generals into immediate action.’  

Sprechman said that victory was also dependent upon the unification of all races, creeds, and national peoples within the country. 

‘We must unify so that whisperings of Fascist sympathizers do not mislead us from our purpose,’ he declared. ‘We must unite behind President Roosevelt, our Commander-in-Chief.’ 

The union leader urged his auditors not to think that their job was ended by the dedication of the service flag. ‘Talk alone will not win this war,’ he said. ‘There must not be any slowing down—we must do everything in our power to share in the fight for victory.’ 

Sprechman called for the collection of funds for the Fourth Ward service men’s canteen.  

Walter S. Morris, secretary to Mayor Furrey and his representative, told the crowd that the dedication was the ‘most enthusiastic that I have ever attended.’ He praised the sale of Bonds at the ceremony but cited that ‘we can do more to support our boys at the front than by buying War Bonds.’  

Miss Flora Avner, soprano, opened the program by singing the ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ John Fleming, famous Negro baritone, sand ‘Red, White and Blue’ and ‘Go Down, Moses.’  

Paul M. Canada, deputy State administrator of the War Savings Staff of the United States Treasury Department, started the sale of Bonds by calling on the crowd to add to the significance of the dedication with a large combined purchase. 

Rev. Charles Tarter, pastor of St. Augustine Church, gave the invocation and Rabbi Reuben Kaufman, of Temple Emanuel, gave the benediction. Sol Greenberg and Steve Ellis was joint chairman. 

Reading 3: Newspaper Article on Tolerance Talks

Teacher Tip: This reading can be connected to the work and movement of the “Double V” campaign. This can also be connected to the second extension in (H)our History Lesson: African American Contributions on the Home Front in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, WWII Heritage City, examining the support between the African American and Jewish communities. 

Groups To Hold Tolerance Talks 

The Morning Call, March 19, 1945, p. 13 

A conference to discuss the question of discrimination will be held at the Y.W.C.A., Wednesday evening at 8 o’clock.

A group of about 20 leading Paterson citizens from various Jewish, Negro, and Protestant circles met last week and reported they were gravely concerned with the present and unobstructed dissemination of race prejudice and hatred among the American people. 

All were unanimous in saying that race discrimination is a major obstacle to the war effort as its effect is to cause disunity, and secondly, it is an act contrary to the American philosophy of government that all men are created equal. 

The group, therefore, came to the conclusion that the eradication of discrimination from the United States is a necessary weapon in the fight of winning the war and achieving a just peace.  

Declaring the passing of the Fair Employment Practice committee bill by the Legislature in Trenton should not be delayed, the group decided to constitute itself into a ‘Provisional Committee to Combat Discrimination.’ Rev. James Clair Taylor, pastor of the A.M.E. Zion Church, was elected temporary chairman, and Morris Savage, local high school instructor, temporary secretary. 

‘The Provisional Committee to Combat Discrimination’ makes an urgent appeal to all organizations and individuals, who are interested in the stamping out of the evil of the discriminated from the picture of American life, to come to this conference either as observers or as participants to help in this work. 

Image 2: Wright’s Division of Employment, showing a diverse workforce; 1940s, exact date unknown.

Credit: The Paterson Museum

By the numbers:

• The African American population in the 1940 census was 2,055, or about 1.5% of the population of Paterson. In the 1950 census, the African American population had risen to 8,270, approximately 6% of the Paterson population (139,336). This growth was connected to employment in war industries and postwar economic growth in Paterson.

Quotations to consider:

“...Negro labor is now being used to an increasing extent, after a year of agitation by farsighted leaders both white and Negro; industry and labor alike are coming to the realization that Negro and white citizens of a democracy can work side by side in harmony. The Curtiss Wright Company was a pioneer in placing Negros in production jobs and its example has been followed by other aircraft factories.”

- “Forum Speaker Says U.S. Must Rid Itself of Bi-Racial Setup,” The Morning Call, January 26, 1943, p. 9

“It took a war to bring the Negro worker higher salaries and that it took a war to teach the public that the Negro can do more than just be a laborer, and now that the war is over, the Negro feels the effect more than any other people. . . The Negro people of the City of Paterson can’t use power, nor eat power. They want decent homes and jobs. It is high time that the Negro people of the City of Paterson did manifest their independence by refusing to be bought off with promises and sold ‘down the river’ by self-appointed leaders. The spirit of the martyred Roosevelt still lives with the Negroes of the country . . .”

- Wallace Cotton in “Wallace Cotton Backs Stafford for Mayor,” The Morning Call, October 24, 1945, p.2

Image 3: An employment ad from 1944 advertising "Negro Workers wanted for factory work, war work but excellent post-war opportunity. Men now employed in war work will not be considered. Apply in person at Aridye Corp., Lyons Plant, Mclean Blvd., Paterson, NJ."

The Morning Call newspaper in Paterson, New Jersey; May 26, 1944.

Student Activities

Questions for Reading 1, Images & Quotes to Consider

1. Examine the photos for this lesson. What do you notice about the workforce in the "Wright's Division of Employment"? Why do you think the employment ad would highlight post-war opportunities?
2. What order was the Paterson Vocational School in violation of? What evidence was there of violations?
3. What were some challenges African Americans faced on the home front and in service during World War II? How was the Paterson Vocational school one example of the challenges faced?
4. Why did some African American workers and families relocate to Paterson?
5. How do the quotations to consider show the complex realities faced by African Americans in seeking economic advancement and equality during and after the war?

Questions for Reading 2

1. What was significant about the service member on the flag?
2. How does Abramson describe the meaning of the stars on the flag?
3. How does this story of the Fourth Ward service flag connect to values of racial equality and the importance of unity in wartime? Consider the role of diverse community leaders, including those of diverse racial, ethnic, and faith backgrounds representing the ward.

Questions for Reading 3

1. What role do you think conferences like the one at the Y.W.C.A. played in addressing discrimination and bringing different racial and religious groups together?
2. Why do you think the group believed that ending discrimination was important for winning the war and creating a fair peace?
3. How do you think partnership work like this contributed to the development of the Civil Rights movement for African Americans, both during and after the war?

Lesson Closing

• How did African Americans in Paterson contribute to the home front efforts and the civil rights movement?

• How did the partnership among, and advocacy of, faith and community groups help challenge racism and discrimination on the home front?

Additional Resources

• General Timeline Of African American History In Paterson, NJ by The Paterson Museum 

• Paterson, New Jersey: Migration North after World War II (Library of Congress) 

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This lesson was written by Sarah Nestor Lane, an educator and consultant with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, funded by the National Council on Public History's cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.