Black and White

Black and White. . , In the early months of World War II, the Navy Department designated Great Lakes as the only site for training African-American recruits. Since recruit training camps were named after naval heroes, it was thought fitting to do the same for the camp that would train African-American sailors. The recruits and Service School students were trained at Camp Robert Smalls, named for the African-American Civil War hero. During the War, Service School Command saw integration as a practical and necessary step to improve training for all Sailors. In 1944, a few African-American students were integrated with whites on an experimental basis. The experiment proved successful and soon the “Negro Service Schools” disappeared.