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Here And Now WABC-TV, The Artists Forum and WNBC-TV Positively Black

WABC -TV show Here And Now: Sweet Georgia Brown: Impact, Courage, Sacrifice and Will

Sandra Bookman, shining a spotlight on some unsung veterans, a documentary about African American women who served the country during World War II. She interviews filmmaker Lawrence E. Walker on his latest documentary about African American Women during World War II, titled “Sweet Georgia Brown.”

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THE ARTISTS FORUM: AFTVNYC EPISODE 65: THE FILMMAKER & THE ARTISTS

AFTVNYC Guest Host Dyllon Burnside interviews Executive Director Lawrence E. Walker of www.PureHistory.org about his work as a historian and filmmaker, as well as artist Sonia Stark about her body of work. (Original air date: February 4th, 2016) Special Thanks: Mnn Studios NYC, Gloria Messer and Haylee Chancelor.

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WNBC-TV: Positively Black Tracie Strahan sat down with Lawrence Walker

Filmmaker Lawrence Walker sat down with Tracie Strahan to discuss his upcoming documentary “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the story about African American Women’s Army Corp. stationed during World War II.
Published at 8:42 AM EDT on Mar 12, 2017 | Updated at 9:25 AM EDT on Mar 12, 2017

4-U.S. Army nurses, new ly arived, line the rail of their vessel as it into port Greenock, Scotland, in European Theater of Operations, August 15, 1944 (c. National Archive)From its beginning in 1942, black women were part of the WAAC. When the first WAACs arrived at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, there were 400 white and 40 black women. Dubbed “ten-percenters,” recruitment of black women was limited to ten percent of the WAAC population—matching the black proportion of the national population. Enlisted women served in segregated units, participated in segregated training, lived in separate quarters, ate at separate tables in mess halls, and used segregated recreation facilities. Officers received their officer candidate training in integrated units, but lived under segregated conditions. Specialist and technical training schools were integrated in 1943. During the war, 6,520 black women served in the WAAC/WAC. Black women were barred from the WAVES until October 19, 1944. The efforts of Director Mildred McAfee and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune helped Secretary of the Navy Forrestal push through their admittance. The first two black WAVES officers, Following World War II, racial and gender discrimination, as well as segregation persisted in the military. Entry quotas and segregation in the WAC deterred many from re-entry between 1946 and 1947. By June 1948, only four black officers and 121 enlisted women remained in the WAC. President Truman eliminated the issues of segregation, quotas and discrimination in the armed forces by signing Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948. WAC’s began integrated training and living in April 1950.

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