I, Bob Meli, came across these articles from The Bergen Evening Record newspaper over the years while researching veterans who served during
World War I. Some of the articles are about local events, which may show a distinction with a word or phrase when referring to a racial issue. The articles reporting on events in other parts of the nation show a more confrontational struggle across the United States. The lynching of African Americans across the South, Germans were lynched in Illinois, the infamous Saint Louis workers riot, and the “Negro” servicemen rioting in Houston Texas to name a few reported incidences, are examples of this struggle on the matter of race relations throughout our country during World War I.
The idea of one race being superior to another is something Hackensack Educator, Carl Padovano, sought to change after serving in the battle of
Iwo Jima in the Pacific Theater during World War II. One of the items
Carl Padovano saved in a hope chest, containing items of his service, was a copy of the “Quest Sermon” given by a Jewish Chaplin Ronald B. Gittleson of the 5th Marine Division when commemorating the cemetery on Iwo Jima. The message articulates Carl’s desired impact on the race issue as a leading Educator in Hackensack Schools.
Click here to view pages 74-83 from E. Fredric Morrow’s book
Way Down South Up North copyright 1973, which expresses the feelings of many black families during World War I. It is well worth reading before viewing these articles for understanding the time period.
Written by:
Bob Meli
April 7, 2018
