Montford Pointers Broke Color Barrier in World War II

The Montford Pointers were a group of 20,000 Black Marines who broke the color barrier in that organization during World War II. They fought on the front lines against the Japanese during a lot of the major battles of that war.

The growing threat of Nazi Germany, with their notions of racial superiority, forced the US to come to terms with their racial problems in this country. Discrimination was a way of life, with the notion of "Separate but Equal" the law of the land since the Supreme Court decision of Plessy vs. Ferguson back in the 1880's.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that war with Germany would happen at some point. The Germans were repeating the same mistakes that they made during World War I as early as the 1930's, mistreating American civilians and refusing to respect American neutrality. By June 25th, 1941, the US had already signaled greater involvement in World War II with the signing of Lend-Lease, allowing them to send weapons to the allies. The last thing that President Roosevelt needed was civil rights unrest with war possible at any moment. Black civil rights leaders were threatening massive marches on Washington if the President did not do something about the ongoing problem of racial discrimination in hiring practices.

In response, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, barring all discrimination in hiring practices throughout the defense industry by either the government or contractors. This act had long-term consequences; it helped lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which barred all forms of racial discrimination.This order also required all branches of the Armed Forces to recruit and enlist African-Americans.

Montford Point was the place where Black Marines were trained. One of the first Afro-American Marine drill instructors was Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson, who had previously served in the Army and Navy. He successfully lobbied for Blacks to be included in combat patrols and he personally led some himself. He fought in both World War II and Korea. He was the first Black serviceman to have a military installation named after him. Today, the Montford Point Marine Association, an organization open to all veterans, exists to perpetuate the legacy of these Marines. In 2011, in a rare case of bipartisan cooperation in Washington, Congress passed and President Obama signed legislation giving the surviving Montford Pointers the highest honors available to American citizens. In 2012, the surviving members received the Congressional Gold Medal for their services to this country.

By contrast, the Nazis had driven out many of the Jewish scientists who could have contributed significantly to a German nuclear program. Among those who were driven out were Albert Einstein. Later, Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt warning that Germany was in the process of doing atomic research that could lead to the development of a nuclear weapon. This letter was the stimulus for the Manhattan Project, which led to this country's successful development of a nuclear weapon. Subsequently, Einstein, originally a pacifist, felt that letter was one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

The Nazi policies of racial superiority proved to be a significant setback to their efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. Afterwards, Albert Speer, war production minister and architect for the Nazis, wrote in his book that they would have developed a nuclear weapon by 1947 at the earliest if they had devoted all their resources to such a discovery.

Brad Lager bill would bring Missouri employment law in line with Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Missouri Senate gave first round approval today to a measure that would bring Missouri employment law provisions in line with the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. Senate Bill 188, sponsored by Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah, would have state laws changed to mirror federal employment laws when it comes to discrimination. The bill must receive a second vote of approval before advancing to the House for similar consideration. "We want Missouri employees to be protected from employers who break the law," Lager said. "We can best do this by raising our standards to meet the provisions set out in the historic Civil Rights Act.

Lager says Senate Bill 188 simply mirrors Missouri employment law with federal employment law so employers and employees have certainty across the board when it comes to their day in court." The bill changes Missouri law to state that discrimination must be "a motivating factor" rather than "a contributing factor" in wrongful termination lawsuits, which is identical to language in the federal Civil Rights Act. It would also allow for summary judgments, guarantee jury trials, limit awards as outlined in federal law, and exclude managers and supervisors from being held individually liable. Lager noted Missouri's employment law originally resembled federal law, but differences have surfaced through case law.

"Unfortunately, Missouri courts have drastically changed Missouri employment law over the years," said Lager. "It is important that the people of Missouri, through their elected representatives, ultimately shape our laws." Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, said bringing certainty to employment law is an important step in legislative efforts aimed at putting Missourians back to work. "Currently there is no harmony in how employment law is treated between federal standards, state law and how our three appellate courts in Missouri have ruled on the law," said Mayer. "By harmonizing our state employment law with federal employment law, Missouri companies can invest more in hiring new employees rather than expansive legal fees to navigate a current system riddled with uncertainty." The bill also addresses Missouri's Whistleblower Protections by clarifying that the protections only apply to those employees who call attention to wrongdoing that is illegal, rather than allegations of wrongdoing where no law was broken.