President Woodrow Wilson formed a Council of National Defense in 1916 to coordinate industries and resources in case the U.S. entered World War I, but it would be two years before Black Arkansans were included.
While a white state Council of Defense was established on May 22, 1917, fifty days after the U.S. declared war on Germany, Arkansas like other Southern states was reluctant to organize its Black citizens. Federal officials pushed for Black involvement, writing “the Negro population can render valuable assistance in the present crisis.” It was late summer of 1918, though, before the Arkansas Gazette reported planning for more than thirty African American auxiliaries around the state.
The Arkansas Colored Auxiliary held its first meeting on August 10, 1918, led by attorney Scipio A. Jones. Both state and national councils, though, maintained oversight of the auxiliary, writing “in most cases the Negroes will no doubt be pleased to have representatives of the other body present at their meetings.”
To learn more, visit encyclopediaofarkansas.net.
Read the Encyclopedia entry at Arkansas Colored Auxiliary Council of Defense - Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
