Air Force Becomes First Service to Announce Policy of Racial Integration

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Based on a study that documented the waste and inefficiency caused by segregation in the Air Force, the Air Force announces that it must “eliminate segregation among its personnel by the unrestricted use of Negro personnel in free competition for any duty within the Air Force for which they may qualify.” It was the first service to announce a policy of racial integration—well before President Truman’s Executive Order on equal opportunity in July 1948.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org